“Longest sunsets happen around the solstice”
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Above: “A June solstice sunset – June 21, 2013 – in the nation of Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula, from our friend Priya Kumar. Thank you, Priya!”
“Longest sunsets happen in June and December
“Here’s a natural phenomenon you might never have imagined. That is, the longest sunsets happen around the time of the solstices. The sun actually takes more time to set around the time of a solstice than around the time of an equinox.
“It’s true. The longest sunsets (and sunrises) happen at or near the solstices. The shortest sunsets (and sunrises) occur at or near the equinoxes. This is true whether you live in the
Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
“And, by the way, when we say sunset here, we’re talking about the actual number of minutes it takes for the body of the sun to sink below the western horizon.
“When is the solstice?
“In 2021, the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice – and Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice – will fall on June 21 at 3:32 UTC.
“In the United States, that translates to June 20 at 11:32 p.m EDT, 10:32 p.m. CDT, 9:32 p.m. MDT, 8:32 p.m. PDT, 7:32 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time and 5:32 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time. Translate to your time zone.
“Why is sunset longer around the solstice?
“As viewed from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the sun rises and sets farthest north at the June solstice and farthest south at the December solstice.
“Now consider that the farther the sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting sun. That means a longer duration for sunset at the solstices.
“Meanwhile, at an equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west. That means – on the day of an equinox – the setting sun hits the horizon at its steepest possible angle.”
Continue reading at EarthSky:
https://earthsky.org/tonight/longest-sunsets-around-solstices/
“Longest sunsets happen in June and December
“Here’s a natural phenomenon you might never have imagined. That is, the longest sunsets happen around the time of the solstices. The sun actually takes more time to set around the time of a solstice than around the time of an equinox.
“It’s true. The longest sunsets (and sunrises) happen at or near the solstices. The shortest sunsets (and sunrises) occur at or near the equinoxes. This is true whether you live in the
Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
“And, by the way, when we say sunset here, we’re talking about the actual number of minutes it takes for the body of the sun to sink below the western horizon.
“When is the solstice?
“In 2021, the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice – and Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice – will fall on June 21 at 3:32 UTC.
“In the United States, that translates to June 20 at 11:32 p.m EDT, 10:32 p.m. CDT, 9:32 p.m. MDT, 8:32 p.m. PDT, 7:32 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time and 5:32 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time. Translate to your time zone.
“Why is sunset longer around the solstice?
“As viewed from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the sun rises and sets farthest north at the June solstice and farthest south at the December solstice.
“Now consider that the farther the sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting sun. That means a longer duration for sunset at the solstices.
“Meanwhile, at an equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west. That means – on the day of an equinox – the setting sun hits the horizon at its steepest possible angle.”
Continue reading at EarthSky:
https://earthsky.org/tonight/longest-sunsets-around-solstices/
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