Today is the Summer Solstice!

At 6:08 PM today, June 20, 2012, in Dallas, Texas, Central Standard Time (CST), the sun will stop heading north, will appear to stop and will start heading south. This is our longest day, with the most sunlight, so enjoy your time in the sun.

I have placed a strip of masking tape as a marker on the dining room window sill where I will stand at sunset over the next days to observe the sunset’s reflection on the edge of the kitchen island to see if I can verify for myself that the sun is in fact moving south and the summer solstice is in fact a true and real event. I call this science in the kitchen.

If you do something similar, do not look directly at the sun. Never look directly at the sun without serious eye protection. You can damage your eyes. Use a point of reflection to make your indirect solar observations.

What is the difference in sunlight from the longest day to the shortest day? Good question. Today in Dallas, we will have 14 hours, 18 minutes and 48 seconds of sun. On December 21, 2012, the winter solstice, we will have 9 hours, 59 minutes and 28 seconds of sun. The difference in daylight is 4 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds.

Of course, if you travel north, today is longer as you go. This has to do with the tilt of the Earth and being closer to the sun in the summer when you are tilted closer to the sun.  It is all a bit mystifying to me, but back to our trip north to Anchorage, Alaska. Today, Anchorage will have 22 hours of daylight. On December 21st, Anchorage will only have 5 hours and 28 minutes of sunlight. That’s a difference of 16 hours and 32 minutes of sun time between the solstices. And, If you don’t stop and keep on to Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the U.S., the sun does not set for 84 days straddling the summer solstice. Now, a 84-day-long day may be a bit long for even the most avid fun-in-the-sun fans.

Have a sunny day and check out how long your day will be today,

Grandpa Jim