Casting some light on Winter Solstice.

As this is written, we're midway through the briefest day of the year, leading to the longest night. Local sunrise this morning occurred at 7:48 am. Sunset will be 4:35 pm. If we've calculated correctly, that provides 8 hours and 47 minutes between sunrise and sunset today. We have no expectations of seeing any sunshine during that period although we've read somewhere on the internet (so it must be true) that December of last year was even more cloudy than this month has been. Sigh. Clear proof that less bad isn't the same as good.

Furthermore, we just noticed that yesterday's sunrise was at 7:48 am and sunset at 7:34 pm. That appears to give yesterday a minute less daylight than today. Tomorrow's sunrise and sunset are at 7:49 and 4:35, again a minute less daylight than today. Could our Minnesota Weatherguide be in error? It's time and dates are for the Twin Cities. The (online) Time and Date Calculator informs us that, at St. Croix Falls (about 30 to 35 miles North of St. Paul), today's sunrise was at 7:47 and sunset will be at 4:30 for a total of 8 hours and 43 minutes of daylight. The differences in day length at this time of year are measured in seconds (or less) and the Weatherguide doesn't reflect that level of sensitivity, but you may be heartened to know that, by month's end, we will have gained 47 seconds of daylight locally. No guarantee how much sunlight we'll actually get to enjoy, but that's standard operating procedure these days.

THE SHORTEST DAY BY SUSAN COOPER

So the shortest day came, and the year died,

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive,

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us—Listen!!

All the long echoes sing the same delight,

This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

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