Even without the dark, menacing shadow of Covid-19 the days are dark.
At our latitude of 58.7075° N, Winter solstice was yesterday Monday, 21 December 2020, at 11:02. The length of the day is down to just 6h 16 m. But at least the trend is now positive though Covid puts a dampener even on that. By the end of this month we will have all of another 9 minutes to play with. But it’s dark outside. I feel dark inside. It’s dark when I get up. It’s still dark long after breakfast. And its dark again when I doze off after lunch (albeit lunches are a bit late these days). Our outside lights, which are on light sensors, switch on before 3pm.
The sun does not rise in the East but 48 degrees South of East. When it sets, it is closer to the South than to the West (48 degrees South of West). Just a measly 84 degree journey across the sky from sunrise to sunset. The highest point the sun reaches is a miserly and a miserable 8 degrees above the horizon.
Dark days in a dark year. But it is not the length of the day which is the main cause of the blackness of mood.
The challenge for 2021 is whether the lengthening days will bring any light.
Tags: Winter solstice
The k2p blog 