HOUSTON – It’s been feeling like summer for a while, but officially summer starts Friday at 9:42 PM! This is the time of the summer solstice. Let’s dive into why we chose that time and what it means for daylight in Houston!
The astronomy aspect:
When it comes to our seasons the most important thing to remember is that Earth is tilted on it’s axis at a degree of 23.5°. This tilt never changes direction, regardless of our position in relation to the sun.
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During the summer solstice, the North Pole is at it’s most extreme tilt towards the sun, and the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer. This is the day that the Northern Hemisphere (where we live) sees the most sunlight! We see the most daylight today. It is also the shortest amount of sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere.
Daylight in Houston:
Here in Houston we enjoy a LOT of sunshine today. Sunrise was at 6:21AM and sunset tonight is at 8:24PM. That translates to 14 hours and 3 minutes of daylight.
Now, unfortunately, this does mean in the coming weeks and months we’re actually going to be losing daylight. Thankfully, you might not notice for a while. In one month from today we lose only about 15 minutes of daylight. I usually start to notice the days getting shorter in September, when we’ve lost nearly two hours of daylight. By November we’ve lost four hours of daylight.
Losing daylight may make you feel sad, but remember this is also why we begin to cool down so much in the Fall! Less sunlight = cooler temperatures.
When you step outside to and bask in the sun today, remember it’s all because of our Earth’s 23.5° tilt! We’d love to know how you’re enjoying the first official weekend of summer! Send us your photos to Click2Pins!
