ChatterBank2 mins ago
Dark Mornings
Is it me or do other peoplee notice that while December the 21 st is the shortest day, it seems ages before there is any noticeable lighter mornings, in fact it seems to get darker after the 21st untill the middle of Janary or even later..Why is this or am I just imaging it.
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by fusilier. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.It isn't any darker in the mornings from 21st December onwards but it isn't much lighter either.
In London, the sun rose at 0804 and set at 1554 on 21st Dec.
By today, the time of sunrise was only 1 minute later (0805) but sunset was 14 minutes later.
Sunrise won't be before 0800 until the 16th Jan (0759) but, by then the time of sunset will have moved on to 1622.
All the times are available here:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html
(Instructions: Use Form B. The coordinates for London are 51 degrees 30 minutes north, 0 degrees 10 minutes west. Time zone = 0 hours. If you want accurate figures for your own locality, just put the name of your city/town/village into the search box at www.multimap.com).
Chris
In London, the sun rose at 0804 and set at 1554 on 21st Dec.
By today, the time of sunrise was only 1 minute later (0805) but sunset was 14 minutes later.
Sunrise won't be before 0800 until the 16th Jan (0759) but, by then the time of sunset will have moved on to 1622.
All the times are available here:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html
(Instructions: Use Form B. The coordinates for London are 51 degrees 30 minutes north, 0 degrees 10 minutes west. Time zone = 0 hours. If you want accurate figures for your own locality, just put the name of your city/town/village into the search box at www.multimap.com).
Chris
the winter solstice is the point at which the earth's axis is tilted furthest away from the sun, and on that day there is the shortest period of daylight. A couple of weeks afterwards, the earth reaches its closest point to the sun in its orbit - and that is what (in very simple terms) causes the times of sunrise to start getting later.
I think you will find the correct explanation here http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.20512