The changing daylight hours thread

[damianslaw]

1 hour ago, hillbilly said:

I guess you must be one that likes it dark at 08.00 and 16.00  but really you cannot appreciate the darkness of midwinter without midsummer.I must be a rarity as i like both!

Always think it comes too early the summer solstice! Just settling into summer and it's all less light from now on. Another month until high summer. Same as winter solstice, many a year winter hasn't got going until it arrives.. The lag effect of cold and warmth not coinciding with max dark and light. 

[Dangerous55019]

The time is exactly 04:32 on Monday the 21st of June 2021, and the summer solstice has just occurred!

Yes folks, the pendulum has finally reached the end of its stroke! ️
Today we have got nine hours and twenty seven minutes more daylight than we had back in December! 

Five weeks ago I commented on the fact that the solstice was approaching… I’m not gonna lie, those five weeks have been a long hard slog for me.

As a sufferer of summer S.A.D. I for one look forward shortening days, gathering mists, ripening fruits, and look forward to welcoming the increasing darkness; like an old friend returning. ?

The summer sun is fading as the year grows oldAnd darker days are drawing near…

[Weather-history]

Shortest night of the year

[Turnedoutniceagain]

9 hours ago, Dangerous55019 said:

The time is exactly 04:32 on Monday the 21st of June 2021, and the summer solstice has just occurred!

Yes folks, the pendulum has finally reached the end of its stroke! ️
Today we have got nine hours and twenty seven minutes more daylight than we had back in December! 

Five weeks ago I commented on the fact that the solstice was approaching… I’m not gonna lie, those five weeks have been a long hard slog for me.

As a sufferer of summer S.A.D. I for one look forward shortening days, gathering mists, ripening fruits, and look forward to welcoming the increasing darkness; like an old friend returning. ?

The summer sun is fading as the year grows oldAnd darker days are drawing near…

Hang in there. Out in the garden earlier: conkers are forming, apples, pears and plums all plumping up by the day. Hawthorn and Blackthorn (sloes) blossom all gone, tiny berries just about visible. #StayStrong

[winterfreak]

I love this time of year. A couple more weeks of late night light before it starts running back into darker nights and mornings. Perfect. I’ll enjoy a few more weeks of Summer, before Autumn comes along. Love it

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Best time of the year by far. Light just naturally makes me happier. Much nicer walking up the paper shop or going to get the train or drive to work now, as well as many other things, than doing the same thing in total darkness in December or January. Stop the clocks please! 

[Sunny76]

I love this time of year, and despite turning the corner towards losing the light, I won't notice it until mid august. That's when that long sunny evening feel seems to fade.

[damianslaw]

I love late May/early June, near max sunlight and often dry here with our first burst of warmth of the year. Also full of positivity for the summer ahead. 

However, can't beat late June feeling, it's when we enter the summer state of mind and headiness, this feeling lasting roughly to early August. Around the second week of Aug O have the first pangs of summer fading despite it often being hottest part of the summer.

Peak high summer for me is about third week July to second week August though by then the solstice was over 4 weeks ago..

[Dangerous55019]

Woke up at 04:25 this morning because the dog wanted to go out and sniff aimlessly at things in the garden…
I have to say that even allowing for the cloud cover that’s swirling around, this morning is the first morning that I’ve noticed it slightly darker at this hour since the solstice.
The increasing darkness is now officially noticeable folks. ?
At the morning end of the day anyway.

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Good site here, just pop your postcode in >>

 

Sunrise and Sunset Calculator

WWW.TIMEANDDATE.COM

---

Calculate local times for sunrises, sunsets, meridian passing, Sun distance, altitude and twilight, dusk and dawn times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cheshire Freeze]

Usually around my birthday the lessening day length becomes noticeable to me. That’s mid July.

[Dangerous55019]

On 27/06/2021 at 14:19, Turnedoutniceagain said:

Good site here, just pop your postcode in >>

 

Sunrise and Sunset Calculator

WWW.TIMEANDDATE.COM

---

Calculate local times for sunrises, sunsets, meridian passing, Sun distance, altitude and twilight, dusk and dawn times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning @Turnedoutniceagain

I’ve used this site for years now… A most excellent source of information.
Certainly at this time of year I tend to check it daily, so I can enjoy/savour how much more darkness we’re gaining with each passing day.

So far we’ve lost four minutes at the morning end of the day.
 

On 28/06/2021 at 05:43, CreweCold said:

Usually around my birthday the lessening day length becomes noticeable to me. That’s mid July.

Morning @CreweCold

Its normally about the middle of July that the evening end of the day starts to noticeably get darker… To be fair, that’s when most normal people notice the change is underway.

Its only us shift workers and other disciples of Dracula that notice the morning end of the day getting darker at this time of year.

[winterfreak]

We’re over the crest now and the slide down starts in earnest. Look forward to Autumn now.. can’t wait  

[Dangerous55019]

22 hours ago, winterfreak said:

We’re over the crest now and the slide down starts in earnest. Look forward to Autumn now.. can’t wait  

Morning @winterfreak 
We certainly are over the crest of it now, as the darkness at the morning end is coming along at a fair ole pace now! I've still yet to witness it at the evening end due to the shifts I'm working, but next week is a swap to lates... I'll keep you posted. 

Personally I can't stand the glare of the overhead summer sun... So like you... Roll on autumn! 

[magicpatch]

Hi all,
I've found this thread interesting. For years I've felt that I've had 'Summer SAD', I don't mind the warmer (ha!) days, but part of my body has never got on with the period from middle of May until early August, it's something about the sunrise at stupid o'clock and waking me up from 5am for many months and then the thought of the sun not setting until 9.20pm just makes matters worse.

The days are rapidly shortening mind, not that I'm counting (much!), we've lost 5mins in the last week alone, then 9pm sunset in this part of the world is just over 2 weeks away, then before you know it its 8.30pm in just over a month! I always seem to feel more 'settled' around my birthday which is Mid-September when sunset moves to 7pm. 

Edited July 7, 2021 by magicpatch

[Dangerous55019]

Morning everyone.

Well thanks to an attack of the dreaded night cramps I have photos to share with you all. 

Two photos put together as one.

The top part of this image shows how light the sky was on June the 17th, the morning of our earliest sunrise of the year, and the bottom part, just three weeks and one day later (this morning in other words)… It’s noticeably darker!
But… In the bottom part of this image (taken this morning) you can also see a quite impressive display of the Noctilucent Clouds. 

Both of these photos were taken at 03:15.

Also last night was the first night that I’ve actually noticed it darker/duskier at 22:00.

Admittedly I’ve been looking ever so hard for the first tangible signs of the darkness increasing, at both ends of the day, such is my loathing of the direct overhead intense glare of the summer sun… The curse of being a summer S.A.D. sufferer; and this year I’ve got it really bad. But hey! 

… And on that note… The cramps have eased off, so I’m gonna try and get back to sleep.

[Dangerous55019]

On 07/07/2021 at 12:17, magicpatch said:

Hi all,
I've found this thread interesting. For years I've felt that I've had 'Summer SAD', I don't mind the warmer (ha!) days, but part of my body has never got on with the period from middle of May until early August, it's something about the sunrise at stupid o'clock and waking me up from 5am for many months and then the thought of the sun not setting until 9.20pm just makes matters worse.

The days are rapidly shortening mind, not that I'm counting (much!), we've lost 5mins in the last week alone, then 9pm sunset in this part of the world is just over 2 weeks away, then before you know it its 8.30pm in just over a month! I always seem to feel more 'settled' around my birthday which is Mid-September when sunset moves to 7pm. 

Morning @magicpatch

I know exactly where you’re coming from.
But now I’ve seen the darkness increasing at both ends of the day it feels like one less load to carry; and Lord alone knows I’ve got enough in my life to worry about at the moment… But this certainly feels like one less load to carry.

[magicpatch]

7 hours ago, Dangerous55019 said:

Morning @magicpatch

I know exactly where you’re coming from.
But now I’ve seen the darkness increasing at both ends of the day it feels like one less load to carry; and Lord alone knows I’ve got enough in my life to worry about at the moment… But this certainly feels like one less load to carry.

Morning @Dangerous55019, well it's nearly afternoon!

I guess I'm 'lucky' to be in the SE. Sunset this evening in London is around 9.15pm but this evening I'm travelling to the NW with my partner to see her parents, and amazingly sunset up there is 9.37pm! It's amazing how much a couple hundred of miles can make! I always tend to notice it more this time of the year as we roll through July the stark differences in the evening daylight between London and the NW. It wasn't the brightest of evenings yesterday but from the house it was looking dark outside by 9.20 but there's little chance of that this evening for me! 

[damianslaw]

Still a good month left of summer light I say.. not until around second week of August I start to notice light levels reducing markedly. Until then let's roll into 'high summer'.. roughly in my book about 15 July to 10 August.. a time of headiness and excuse to slumber!

[Cheshire Freeze]

Starting to become noticeable that the night is starting to draw out in a morning now. The 4am light is not as bright as it was a few weeks back.

[damianslaw]

4 minutes ago, CreweCold said:

Starting to become noticeable that the night is starting to draw out in a morning now. The 4am light is not as bright as it was a few weeks back.

I'm never awake early enough to notice the sunrise this time of year.. my bedroom is north facing and never sees the sun! 

Alas I'm far more tuned into the sunset times and as per post above it's not for another month I start to notice loss of light on the evenings at a more notable pace.

I guess those who are early birds, work shifts, need to be up early or have bedrooms facing east take more note of sunrise. Indeed late nighters and light sleepers as well or awaken due to the dawn chorus!

Edited July 12, 2021 by damianslaw

[Cheshire Freeze]

2 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

I'm never awake early enough to notice the sunrise this time of year.. my bedroom is north facing and never sees the sun! 

Alas I'm far more tuned into the sunset times and as per post above it's not for another month I start to notice loss of light on the evenings at a more notable pace.

I guess those who are early birds, work shifts, need to be up early or have bedrooms facing east take more note of sunrise. Indeed late nighters and light sleepers as well or awaken due to the dawn chorus!

Yeah, slower progress with the sunsets. Usually notice those starting to pull in by the last week of July.

[cheeky_monkey]

8 hours ago, damianslaw said:

I'm never awake early enough to notice the sunrise this time of year.. my bedroom is north facing and never sees the sun! 

Alas I'm far more tuned into the sunset times and as per post above it's not for another month I start to notice loss of light on the evenings at a more notable pace.

I guess those who are early birds, work shifts, need to be up early or have bedrooms facing east take more note of sunrise. Indeed late nighters and light sleepers as well or awaken due to the dawn chorus!

i go walking at 5.30am every morning for an hour or so..here sunrise is at 5.05am at the solstice..this morning it was just nudging above the horizon when i left the house..can feel the darkness creeping in morning time

[NUT]

Yes have noticed myself gradually sun setting a bit earleir and sun rising later slowly but surely the change is happening

[sarahng]

Oh well - only just over 5 months until we turn towards the good part of the year!  Love, love light mornings!