Little less evening observing time.

[ronin]

Well from now on the sunset gets later so a bit less observing time in the evenings for us all. :cry: :cry:

[Floater]

I hesitate to question you, ronin, but aren't you a bit previous? It's still setting earlier for the next few days, I think.

And anyhow, when it does start to set later we get more solar viewing ... :-)

[ronin]

Owing to an eliptical orbit the sunsets get later, the sunrises also get later and by more then the sunsets.

So the amount of night is still increasing but not sort of equally at both ends.

Seems that by the solstice the sunsets 2 minutes later then today, however the sunrise is about 10 minutes later. So more "night" but not equally distributed. The sunrises continue to get later all through December, they do not turn on the Solstice, they start to get earlier about Dec 31st time. In early Janurary the sunsets get earlier by about 2 minutes a day.

Out of 3 sites 2 say now, one seems to be saying about Dec 10 or 11th.

Saw it referred to on an astro site and something like the BBC.

[wuthton]

Owing to an eliptical orbit the sunsets get later, the sunrises also get later and by more then the sunsets.

So the amount of night is still increasing but not sort of equally at both ends.

Seems that by the solstice the sunsets 2 minutes later then today, however the sunrise is about 10 minutes later. So more "night" but not equally distributed. The sunrises continue to get later all through December, they do not turn on the Solstice, they start to get earlier about Dec 31st time. In early Janurary the sunsets get earlier by about 2 minutes a day.

Out of 3 sites 2 say now, one seems to be saying about Dec 10 or 11th.

Saw it referred to on an astro site and something like the BBC.

Every day is a school day. I didn't know that.

[Floater]

Now that's why I hesitated before questioning you, ronin! I have you down as a man who knows his stuff and is far, far more experienced than I.

There does seem to be a discrepancy among sites 'giving' sunrise/sunset times and the one I was visiting gives another couple of days or so of earlier setting times before it turns.

And I promise, honest injun, I wasn't nit-picking. It's just that ever since I was a nipper my friends and I have jostled to be the first to say 'the nights are drawing out' - a phrase often used by our elders which we would parody.

The reality remains: it's dark late into the morning and dark about mid-afternoon (at my latitude, anyhow). Which is fine if the nights are clear. Also, the sun never gets very high so I need to dodge branches when trying to view it. And that's only when it's a clear day ...

Everything has its ups and downs.

Clear Skies!

[dph1nm]

Hmm - the equation of time predicts earliest sunset on or around Dec 13th (for the UK anyway). Basically it is always about a week before the solstice.

NigelM

[Peter Drew]

Tell you what, it seems to take a heck of a time before you notice the evenings getting lighter. 

[RichM63]

^or warmer.

Good explanation ronin, but how long after sunset is it officially dark?

eg. here sunset 17.17 but not black dark until about 18.45 (ignore the Moon it's not up yet).