The Days Are Getting Shorter

As the Earth spins and rotates around the sun, the days become shorter or longer, depending on the planet's tilt. When the North Pole tilts toward the Sun, it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Alternately, when the South Pole tilts toward the Sun, it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This axial tilt of Earth is the cause of seasons. As we move from summer to fall, one observable (and measurable) change is the decrease in daylight hours. The days are getting shorter!

Here in Brooklyn, on July 1st, the sun rose at 5:28am and set at 8:30pm, giving us roughly 15 hours of daylight time. Six weeks later, on August 12th, the sun rose at 6:03am and set at 7:57pm, giving us thirteen hours and fifty-four minutes of daytime time. At the time this post was written, 8/25, the sun rose at 6:15am and set at 7:39pm, roughly thirteen hours and twenty minutes of daylight time. And the days get even shorter!

September 3rd
Sunrise: 6:24am  Sunset: 7:25pm
13 hours of daylight time


September 25th
Sunrise: 6:46am  Sunset: 6:48pm
12 hours of daylight time


October 18th
Sunrise: 7:09am  Sunset: 6:11pm
11 hours of daylight time


October 31st
Sunrise: 7:24am  Sunset: 5:53pm
10.5 hours of daylight time

By early November, we'll be changing our clocks back to account for the diminished daylight hours as winter approaches.