Today is the last day we'll have at least eight hours between sunrise (8:01 am) and sunset (4:03 pm). Fortunately, it's not pitch black before sunrise or after sunset. Here's our backyard at 8:01 this morning:
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| Our backyard, on the western(ish) side of the house, at 8:01 am this morning. |
We Glaswegians won't have 10 hours and 10 minutes of sunlight again until February 22 next year.
Of course, the winter solstice on December 21 will have the shortest daylight hours: sunrise at 8:46 am and sunset at 3:45 pm, a little under seven hours of daylight. That means 17 hours of mostly darkness outside. For comparison's sake, on December 21, Raleigh will have 9 hours and 44 minutes between sunrise at 7:21 and sunset at 5:05.
The loss of daylight affects our daily patterns. For me and Jackson, it means almost all of our outdoor activities are geared for the morning. Since he usually naps for two to three hours in the afternoon, it's now getting dark by the time he wakes up from naptime. We might still make a foray to meet Mommy on the way home, or perhaps run around in the playground near our house, but for the most part it's indoor play after lunch.
Kate sees even less sunlight. She often leaves the house before sunrise and walks home in the dark.
Fortunately, she has big windows in her office, and she can sometimes take a walk at lunchtime. She does like that the early darkness makes her evenings at home feel longer.
The flip side for our currently dwindling sunlight is the bountiful sunlight we get in the summer. On June 21 next year we'll have 17 hours and 35 minutes of sunlight, from sunrise at 4:31 am until sunset at 10:06 pm. By contrast, Raleigh will enjoy 14 hours and 35 minutes of sunlight, from 5:59 am to 8:34 pm.
As I write this post, the light is noticeably fading.
Fading.
Fading.
Fading.
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| Sunset at 4:03 pm this afternoon. |
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| Fading light at 4:33 pm. |
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| Dark by 5:03 pm. |
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