The Winter Solstice

[DirtMechanic]

Please post for your area. This is from my area

I am in the 9.5 - 10 hour area.

 

[Silentrunning]

9.5 to 10 for me but it seems like much less.

 

[alp]

It's a bit late. But yesterday, our laptop nearly got burnt out

Winter solstice
21st December 2016 Last updated at 10:46
In the UK, daylight on 21 December will last for an average of 7 hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds.

It marks the start of longer days leading up to the summer solstice in June. In total, the day is 8 hours and 49 minutes shorter than the summer solstice.

The sun will rise in the UK at 08:04 and set at 15:54, with the official solstice occurring at precisely 10.44am today.

No wonder Logan gave the times sun rises and sets!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/38392137

 

[MoonShadows]

I drove a school bus for a few years before I retired. I started each morning in the dark and ended each afternoon in the dark during the winter. I use to savor the sky getting lighter by just a bit each day as I drove my morning run and staying lighter by just a bit as I drove my afternoon run. It made me feel like there was hope another Spring was coming!

 

[alp]

Yes! I know the feeling. When I lived in London, 10pm was still full of light even far, far away. A weather man said in between a cold day with bright sunshine and a warm day with rain and overcast sky, he knew which one he liked. I like sunshine any day.

My doctor friend told his daughters that England was not sunny at 6 or 7 pm in the winter. He probably wanted to let them down slowly and gently that in winter, it would be funereal at 2.30pm.

 

[Ian]

Just under 8 hours of sunlight in our town, according to Google. Feels like less than that sometimes!

Oh man, Alaskans getting only a handful of hours of sun per day? Must be tough!

 

[marlingardener]

Silent, we are in the 9 to 10 hours of sunlight area also, but thanks to Colin sending us Blackie, we haven't had any sunshine today.
Ian, I can sympathize with you--when it's overcast, rainy, drizzly, foggy for a couple of days here I get a bad case of cabin fever. When the weather improves the cats come out of their shelter and are absolutely impossible to handle!

 

[DirtMechanic]

@Ian though I am a Bama Boy by birth and current residence I did live in Alaska for about 15 years. One place had Sunrise after 10am and Sunset about 3:30pm. I never got used to it and had to leave. Plus I really missed trees.

 

[Larisa]

On this day the sun rises in the southeast, and sets in the south-west, describing the shortest arc in the sky. Over Moscow Sun will rise above the horizon at 8.57 and goes away at 15.58 Moscow time, the duration of the light day will be 7 hours.

For comparison, on the day of the summer solstice, June 22, the light day in Moscow lasts 17 hours 34 minutes.

It is also an ancient pagan holiday.
"Kolyada" is a winter solstice or the longest night of the year. During this period, the young Sun "Kolyada" replaces the old Sun "Svetovit".
Therefore, the light time of the day starts to increase from this day.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Some cultures have the neatest sun related customs. I have always wanted to go back to the Mayan pyramid and drink a beer while watching the summer solstice sun crawl down the stairway that represents their fertility god snake . It would be really hot in the jungle in the middle of summer though, and I always seem to seek the coolness of the mountains that time of year.

 

[Sheal]

The sun will rise in the UK at 08:04 and set at 15:54,

Sorry to be picky @alp but the sun rises and sets at different times in many parts of the UK.

Daylight hours here in the Highlands started to draw out on Monday just gone. Sunrise today: 08.59 and Sunset 15.34.

 

[splinx]

Please post for your area.

Winter:
10 hours, 44 minutes. Sunrise: 6:32am / Sunset: 5:16pm.

Summer:
13 hours, 32 minutes. Sunrise: 5:05am / Sunset: 6:37pm.

 

[CanadianLori]

Shortest day 8 hours 57 minutes and 12 seconds here at the 43 degrees latitude
Longest day 15 hours 26 minutes and 31 seconds.

I have caught myself wishing for winter to rush by and then remembered that I need the winter to work on getting all of my seedlings going!

 

[Sheal]

Shortest daylight hours, winter.......6 hours, 35 minutes, 39 seconds.

Longest daylight hours, summer.......18 hours, 1 minute, 25 seconds.