The earliest sunset on December 13

The shortest day, the longest night is around December 21, that's what we always learn. And now I say that around December 13, the earliest sunset is already. What about that then?

natuur

Okay, I'll explain briefly, and I hope in an understandable way!

  • It's true that the longest night around December 21 is. The night, the time between sunset and sunrise is the longest.
  • However, the turn of the sunset and sunrise is not even. This has to do with the elips shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The horizontal factor ( Azimuth ) and the height together determine the time of sunset and sunrise.  
  • Mid-December is the moment the sunset earliest is, but because the sunrise is still getting later, the days don't end yet.
  • The sunrise is at the end of December , then it becomes light again in the morning.
  • This ensures that around December 21 is the longest night!

These times apply to the Netherlands. The closer you are to the equator, the smaller this effect will be. 

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