Turns out, 2008 will be one of the longest years ever when astronomers insert an extra second at 17:59:60 CT tonight:
The additional second makes up for the difference in two clocks – one based on Earth’s rotation and the other on the more precise atomic time of the UTC.
In the U.S., the extra second will be added by the U.S. Naval Observatory at 6:59:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (11:59:59 p.m. Universal time). It will be the 24th "leap second" tacked on to the universal time scale since 1972.
The popular press have written about this as prolonging the gloom of 2008. I don't know if that's accurate. People familiar with the structure of fiction will notice that although we had the technical climax of our present story on November 4th, the dramatic climax hasn't happened yet. I have no idea what that will look like, only that we'll probably see it in 2009, and the dénoument that follows will make us wax nostialgic about the halcyon days of 2008. Put another way: There is a tide; when you're in the trough of a wave, things don't really feel better until you've climbed halfway to the next crest.
I'm not trying to depress anyone. I just think we've got some difficult times ahead, for the simple reason that the worst really is behind us.
Enjoy the extra second.
It's a little thing, but it means our evenings won't seem as gloomy from now on: tonight's sunset in Chicago is the earliest of the year. Seriously. It has to do with the speed of the earth's orbit around the sun this time of year (it's faster, as we approach perihelion).
In any event, tomorrow night the sun sets just a few seconds later than it does tonight, which just adds a little happiness this time of year.
It's time for the semi-annual update of the Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
2008 |
2 Jul |
8:30pm sunset |
05:20 |
20:30 |
15:09 |
16 Jul |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:24 |
14:55 |
8 Aug |
8pm sunset |
05:52 |
20:00 |
14:08 |
16 Aug |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:49 |
13:48 |
28 Aug |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
15 Sep |
6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset |
06:30 |
19:00 |
12:29 |
22 Sep |
Equinox, 10:44 CDT |
06:39 |
18:48 |
12:08 |
25 Sep |
12-hour day |
06:42 |
18:42 |
12:00 |
2 Oct |
6:30pm sunset |
06:49 |
18:30 |
11:40 |
12 Oct |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
18:14 |
11:13 |
21 Oct |
6pm sunset |
07:11 |
18:00 |
10:48 |
1 Nov |
Latest sunrise until 2 Nov. 2010 Latest sunset until Mar 4th |
07:24 |
17:45 |
10:20 |
2 Nov |
Standard time returns Earliest sunrise until Mar 2nd |
06:25 |
16:43 |
10:18 |
6 Nov |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
16:39 |
10:08 |
15 Nov |
4:30pm sunset |
06:41 |
16:30 |
9:48 |
2 Dec |
7am sunrise |
07:01 |
16:20 |
9:19 |
8 Dec |
Earliest sunset of the year |
07:06 |
16:20 |
9:13 |
21 Dec |
Solstice, 06:04 CST |
07:16 |
16:23 |
9:07 |
2009 |
3 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct. 29th |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:14 |
27 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
4 Feb |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
17:10 |
10:10 |
20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:39 |
17:30 |
10:51 |
26 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:30 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
7 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 12th Earliest sunset until Oct. 25th |
06:16 |
17:49 |
11:32 |
8 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins Latest sunrise until Oct. 25th |
07:14 |
18:50 |
11:35 |
17 Mar |
7am sunrise, 7pm sunset 12-hour day |
06:59 |
19:00 |
12:01 |
20 Mar |
Equinox 06:44 CDT |
06:54 |
19:04 |
12:09 |
3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:19 |
12:49 |
13 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:16 |
22 Apr |
6am sunrise |
05:59 |
19:40 |
13:40 |
10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:36 |
20:00 |
14:24 |
15 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:05 |
14:34 |
14 Jun |
Earliest sunrise of the year |
05:15 |
20:28 |
15:13 |
21 Jun |
Solstice 00:45 CDT 8:30pm sunset |
05:16 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
26 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:17 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.
For those of you who missed it last night, we had a total lunar eclipse, which the cold, clear weather in Chicago let us see perfectly:
It's time for the semi-annual update of the Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
2008 |
4 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct 28 |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:14 |
28 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
5 Feb |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
17:11 |
10:10 |
20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
17:30 |
10:49 |
27 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:30 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
8 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 12th Earliest sunset until Oct 28th |
06:14 |
17:50 |
11:36 |
9 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins Latest sunrise until Oct 22nd |
07:12 |
18:51 |
11:39 |
16 Mar |
7am sunrise, 7pm sunset 12-hour day |
07:00 |
19:00 |
12:00 |
20 Mar |
Equinox 00:48 CDT |
06:54 |
19:04 |
12:10 |
3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:19 |
12:49 |
13 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
22 Apr |
6am sunrise |
05:59 |
19:41 |
13:31 |
10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:35 |
20:00 |
14:24 |
15 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:05 |
14:34 |
14 Jun |
Earliest sunrise of the year |
05:15 |
20:28 |
15:13 |
20 Jun |
Solstice 18:59 CDT |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:15 |
21 Jun |
8:30pm sunset |
05:16 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
27 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:18 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
2 Jul |
8:30pm sunset |
05:20 |
20:30 |
15:09 |
16 Jul |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:24 |
14:55 |
8 Aug |
8pm sunset |
05:52 |
20:00 |
14:08 |
16 Aug |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:49 |
13:48 |
28 Aug |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
15 Sep |
6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset |
06:30 |
19:00 |
12:29 |
22 Sep |
Equinox, 10:44 CDT |
06:39 |
18:48 |
12:08 |
25 Sep |
12-hour day |
06:42 |
18:42 |
12:00 |
2 Oct |
6:30pm sunset |
06:49 |
18:30 |
11:40 |
12 Oct |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
18:14 |
11:13 |
21 Oct |
6pm sunset |
07:11 |
18:00 |
10:48 |
1 Nov |
Latest sunrise of the year Latest sunset until Mar 5th |
07:24 |
17:45 |
10:20 |
2 Nov |
Standard time returns Earliest sunrise until Mar 2nd |
06:25 |
16:43 |
10:18 |
6 Nov |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
16:39 |
10:08 |
15 Nov |
4:30pm sunset |
06:41 |
16:30 |
9:48 |
2 Dec |
7am sunrise |
07:01 |
16:20 |
9:19 |
8 Dec |
Earliest sunset of the year |
07:06 |
16:20 |
9:13 |
21 Dec |
Solstice, 06:04 CST |
07:16 |
16:23 |
9:07 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.
We atheists need holidays, too; why not an astronomical event? Eight minutes past midnight in Chicago tonight, light a candle to mark the bottom of the analemma.
This is one of my favorite milestones. Thanks to the analemma, tonight's sunset (4:20 pm) is the earliest of the year in Chicago. Of course, the sunrise still gets later every day until January 4th. At least tomorrow we'll have just a smidge more evening light than we'll have today.
I can't remember the last time Chicago got all the way through October without a freezing day. This year, even by November 2nd, we still haven't officially had a freeze.
Also, tomorrow has Chicago's latest sunrise: 7:25 am. For those 33 years old and under, it's the latest sunrise ever. (During the 1973 energy crisis, Chicago didn't return to Standard Time in the fall.)
Delayed edit, 11:05pm: Moments after posting this, O'Hare recorded its first freezing temperature since April 16th.
It's time for the semi-annual update of the Evanston/Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
2007 |
1 Jul |
8:30pm sunset |
05:19 |
20:30 |
15:11 |
17 Jul |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:24 |
14:54 |
9 Aug |
8pm sunset |
05:52 |
20:00 |
14:08 |
17 Aug |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:49 |
13:48 |
29 Aug |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
15 Sep |
6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset |
06:30 |
18:59 |
12:28 |
23 Sep |
Equinox, 04:51 CDT |
06:39 |
18:47 |
12:08 |
26 Sep |
12-hour day |
06:42 |
18:42 |
12:00 |
3 Oct |
6:30pm sunset |
06:49 |
18:29 |
11:39 |
13 Oct |
7am sunrise |
07:01 |
18:13 |
11:12 |
21 Oct |
6pm sunset |
07:10 |
18:00 |
10:50 |
3 Nov |
Latest sunrise of the year Latest sunset until Mar 2nd |
07:25 |
17:43 |
10:17 |
4 Nov |
Standard time returns Earliest sunrise until Feb 29th |
06:27 |
16:41 |
10:14 |
7 Nov |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
16:38 |
10:07 |
15 Nov |
4:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
16:30 |
9:49 |
2 Dec |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
16:20 |
9:20 |
8 Dec |
Earliest sunset of the year |
07:06 |
16:20 |
9:13 |
21 Dec |
Solstice, 18:08 CST |
07:15 |
16:22 |
9:06 |
2008 |
4 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct 28 |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:13 |
28 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
5 Feb |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
17:11 |
10:10 |
20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
17:30 |
10:49 |
27 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:30 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
8 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 12th Earliest sunset until Oct 28th |
06:14 |
17:50 |
11:36 |
9 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins Latest sunrise until Oct 22nd |
07:12 |
18:51 |
11:39 |
16 Mar |
7am sunrise, 7pm sunset 12-hour day |
07:00 |
19:00 |
12:00 |
20 Mar |
Equinox 00:48 CDT |
06:54 |
19:04 |
12:10 |
3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:20 |
12:50 |
12 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:15 |
19:30 |
13:15 |
21 Apr |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:40 |
13:39 |
10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:35 |
20:01 |
14:25 |
15 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:06 |
14:35 |
14 Jun |
Earliest sunrise of the year |
05:15 |
20:29 |
15:13 |
18 Jun |
8:30pm sunset |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
20 Jun |
Solstice 18:59 CDT |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:15 |
27 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:17 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.