2007-01-01 02:28:39 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
December 21 is the right answer, IF you live in the northern hemisphere.
If you live in the southern hemisphere, daylight hours are now getting shorter.
If you are dead in either place, it is always nighttime.
2007-01-01 02:56:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is more subtle than many of the Answerers have detected.
The shortest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) was our winter solstice, December 21st in the Western Hemisphere (December 22nd from Berlin eastward because of the effect of time zones). In 2007, it will be December 22nd (except on the US west coast and Hawaii, where it will be the 21st again). The difference in dates between the two years is caused by the fact that the year is not exactly 365 days long, but about 365.25, that business about leap years.
The 21st (or 22nd) is not the earliest sunset, however. In my latitude, about 40 North, the earliest sunset happened December 8th (at 4:28 p.m.). Since then, we've gained 11 minutes of sun in the afternoon, and we'd already picked up 3 minutes before the 21st.
Not only that, but despite the fact that the (Northern) winter solstice happened on the 21st of December, we have still not yet had our latest sunrise! That will occur on January 5th, at 7:20 a.m. On December 21st, the sun rose at 7:16 a.m. (4 minutes earlier).
This anomaly is caused by a phenomenon called the Equation of Time. The earth is moving faster than average in its orbit in December and January, because it's close to the sun now. This extra speed has the effect of making both sunrise and sunset happen about a third of a minute later each day, cumulatively, than the day before. By December 8th (in New York) that 1/3 of a minute starts to exceed the apparent southward movement of the sun, so the sunset starts moving later.
2007-01-01 09:21:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anne Marie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume that you meant "When does the amount of daylight begin getting longer."
They actually started getting longer a week and a half ago. The winter solstice was December 21st this year. This is the day with the longest night. After that, each day we get a little more light and a little less darkness.
2007-01-01 02:46:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Saturday December 23 is the 1st day that gets longer as 22 Dec is the iciness Soltice or the shortest day of the 12 months. you will not word a sturdy substitute until finally overdue March as Jan Feb and March are the slowest coldest months with god undesirable climate and Snow. Did you word that snow is so undesirable that that could be a 4 letter word.
2016-12-15 12:58:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From this day on, the days start getting longer!!!
2007-01-01 03:09:37 · answer #5 · answered by Answer Champion 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The shortest "day" (time of daylight) also known as the Winter Solstice was December 21st. On December 22nd the daylight time of each day started getting longer.
2007-01-01 02:33:49 · answer #6 · answered by gunsmoke_70 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
During the period of December 21 thru to the 23rd, the earth begins and finishes its annual tilt back towards the sun(solstice) and the days start getting longer for daylight instead of darkness.
2007-01-01 02:32:02 · answer #7 · answered by Ted 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They started "getting longer" on December 21st, the beginning of winter.
2007-01-01 02:29:38 · answer #8 · answered by wondering... 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We start getting more light per day on December 21st. By the 21st of March, first day of spring the day and night will be equal length, at least on the tropics cancer and capricorn.
2007-01-01 02:36:42 · answer #9 · answered by science teacher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
days start to get longer in the spring
2007-01-01 02:29:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋