The daily progression of increases of daylight is small, but it is going in the right direction beginning today. Soon we will be able to walk on the beach earlier or drive into Charleston in the light.
Today starts the Winter Solstice and marks the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight hours. According to timeanddate.com the transition from the shortest days of the year to the lengthening of days will occur in Charleston at exactly 4:20 am on Saturday, December 21, 2024.
December 21 daylight hours are significantly shorter than the Summer Solstice, which occurs around June 21. In Charleston, the daylight hours on the Winter Solstice will be about 4 hours and 19 minutes shorter compared to the longest day of the year, which is the Summer Solstice.
Read more: The Days Are Getting Longer!According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the Sun appears at its lowest in the sky, and its noontime elevation seems to stay the same for several days before and after this day. The Sun’s gradual decrease in the sky reverses upon the winter solstice, marking what many cultures believe to be a “rebirth” of the Sun as the hours of daylight become longer.
For more information about the Winter Solstice, click here.
Happy Winter Solstice!
–Tidelines Editors
(Image credit: Getty Images, timeandtable.com, Britannica)