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.
The June Solstice happens in 15 minutes, at 1:06pm CDT. Happy Summer! (Or, you know, winter, for the one-third of the world who live in the Southern Hemisphere.)
The clouds broke this evening just long enough for me to see the eclipse. As they say in Boston: wicked cool.
The eclipse will be total from 4:44 pm CT to 5:58 pm, so when the moon rises over Chicago at 5:39 pm it will appear a deep red. (If it appears at all, of course; the weather will likely be cloudy.)
Observers on the East Coast will have a better view; Europeans will get to see the whole thing.
It's time to update the sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
Notice that in 2007, Daylight Saving Time lasts a lot longer than in years past: from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November. This actually makes the autumn a little darker, as you can see from the chart.
Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
2007 |
4 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct 30 |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:13 |
28 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
5 Feb |
7am sunrise |
06:59 |
17:10 |
10:10 |
20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
17:30 |
10:49 |
27 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:29 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
10 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 15th Earliest sunset until Oct 28th |
06:11 |
17:51 |
11:39 |
11 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins Latest sunrise until Oct 21st |
07:10 |
18:52 |
11:42 |
17 Mar |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
18:59 |
11:59 |
18 Mar |
12-hour day |
06:58 |
19:00 |
12:02 |
21 Mar |
Equinox, 00:07 (Mar 21) UTC (19:07 CDT) |
06:53 |
19:04 |
12:11 |
3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:18 |
12:47 |
13 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:15 |
19:30 |
13:15 |
22 Apr |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:40 |
13:39 |
10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:35 |
20:00 |
14:25 |
16 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:04 |
14:34 |
15 Jun |
Earliest sunrises of the year |
05:14 |
20:28 |
15:13 |
19 Jun |
8:30pm sunset |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
21 Jun |
Solstice, 18:06 UTC (13:06 CDT) |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:15 |
27 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:17 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
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, 09:51 UTC (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, 00:08 (Dec 22) UTC (18:08 CST) |
07:15 |
16:22 |
9:06 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.
The Winter Solstice happens today at 6:22 pm CST (00:22 UTC).