21st December

[Vapin' Joe]

Shortest day of the year, thank feck that's out of the way and we're on our way to lighter evenings.

 

[MossCommuter]

Shortest day of the year, thank feck that's out of the way and we're on our way to lighter evenings.

Are you a day early?

http://www.shortestday.co.uk/

 

[marinyork]

It changes between the 21st and 22nd. This year it is the 22nd which is 1 second shorter than the 21st. It's theoretically possible to have the 20th and 23rd as the shortest day too.

 

[Aperitif]

'Make day while the sun shines' All days are the same size.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Now I'm depressed again

 

[marinyork]

Now I'm depressed again

Don't be, the time of sunset has started getting later for quite a few days already. It's just that the sunrises will be getting later for some time yet.

 

[martint235]

Don't be, the time of sunset has started getting later for quite a few days already. It's just that the sunrises will be getting later for some time yet.

Someone is going to explain this aren't they? I'm not saying it's not true but it suggests our clock is more scr***ed than just the hour we mess about with.

 

[MontyVeda]

...it suggests our clock is more scr***ed than just the hour we mess about with.

or the day we have to add every four years, unless the year is divisible by four or however else they have to fiddle in order to keep our clocks in sync with the cosmos

 

[marinyork]

Someone is going to explain this aren't they? I'm not saying it's not true but it suggests our clock is more scr***ed than just the hour we mess about with.

One of the less complicated contributory reasons is that in early January the earth is closest to the Sun. By Kepler's 2nd law this means that the earth sweeps out slightly more of its orbit in how far it has travelled around the sun (equal area though). This means that the synodic day is something like a minute longer than when the earth is at the farthest point from the sun.

If you were to take a snap shot of the sun at the same time every day you'd find that it follows an analemma in the sky and https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/kahl/www/Images/Weather/Other/analemma.html not other shapes/all in the same place as you might expect.

 

[MossCommuter]

<snigger>

"Sir!! Marin said 'anal' sir!"

</snigger>

 

[martint235]

Cheers for the explanantion (and a fairly cool picture too!)

 

[Aperitif]

Cheers for the explanantion (and a fairly cool picture too!)

Yes. 'analemma' has a distinct ring to it now.

 

[craigwend]

twould have been my fathers birthday, the longer days will be with us again though

worth a drink to all those no longer with us...

 

[Bayerd]

twould have been my fathers birthday, the longer days will be with us again though

worth a drink to all those no longer with us...

Indeed, would also have been my granddad's today.