BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????

Subject: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 09:49 PM

Is it June 20th or June 22nd?

ART THIEME

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: Ebbie
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 09:58 PM

I haven't checked it lately - so it isn't fresh in my memory - but I believe there are three or so days that are the same length.

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 10:15 PM

I'm no astromomer, but it seems logical to assume it would depend upon precisely what time of day on the 21st the solstice occurs. If the solstice were to fall exactly at noon, then the 20th and 22nd should be of the same exact length. If it falls before noon, then the 20th should be slightly longer. If it falls after noon, then the 22nd should be slightly longer.

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: GUEST,solstice kid ?
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 10:23 PM

I was born on the 21st December.

Is that definitely Winter Solstice day / shortest day of the year ?

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 12:26 AM

which hemisphere?

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: SharonA
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 01:44 AM

Aren't they all 24 hours long? ;^)

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 01:59 AM

Not quite.

This site reckons it's a bit longer every day.



But THIS site reckons it's shorter. Go figure.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 02:02 AM

It depends what part of the world you are in. I'm in Sydney Australia, so our longest and second longest will be in December. Anyway, I found out from looking at the Sydney Observatory site that this year, the exact moment when the sun is at its furthest north in the southern hemisphere is 4.06am on the 22nd June. So this would be technically the moment of WINTER solstice for us, making the 22nd June our shortest day. The second shortest was probably the day before, the 21st. This was what was posted on that site on the 22nd June (it's the afternoon of the 23rd here now):

This year winter solstice, which is the time the Sun is at its furthest north for the year, occurs at 4:06 am Australian Eastern Standard Time on Friday 22 June 2007. That means that Friday is the shortest day. Since the solstice occurs during the night of 21/22 June that is the longest night.

As most of the world apart from New Zealand is behind Australian time, in the time zones of countries like the UK and the USA the solstice occurs the day before that in Australia. Hence there is confusion for some people who have calendars with information sourced from overseas and who consequently think that the solstice and the shortest day are today. I should also point out that though from Friday onwards the days will start to get longer, the differences initially from day to day are only a few seconds and hence not noticeable.

The UK is 9 hours behind us right now, so their moment of summer solstice would be 7.06pm on the 21st June, and Mudcat time is 14 hours behind us, so the moment of summer solstice in that timezone would be 2.06pm on the 21st. Both those times are before sunset so the 21st would be the longest day and either the 20th or the 22nd would be the second longest - might be a couple of seconds difference between one and the other, but since those times are later in the day, I'd guess it would be the 22nd.

Another interesting point they make on that site is this:

...please note that the earliest sunset for the year did not occur on the solstice, but about 10 days earlier. Similarly, the latest sunrise will not be on the day of the solstice, but about 10 days later.

If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, remember that they are talking about the WINTER solstice. I think in the summer, the earliest sunrise is about 10 days before the solstice and the latest sunset comes about 10 days after the solstice.

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 02:16 AM

Northern Hemisphere - it's all down hill from now on! The days are shortening, 6 months til Christmas, winter draws on.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: DMcG
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 04:18 AM

An excellent quiz question I heard some time ago asked for the longest day and its nowhere near this day (in most places). The trick lay in the fact that anywhere that puts its clocks forward and back has a day of 25 hours!

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 04:36 AM

Ah yes, but "day" is not meant to be the period between one midnight and the next. With daylight saving there would be one 23 hour day and one 25 hour day in a year with all the others being 24 hours, as SharonA said.

"Day" here is meant to be between sunrise and sunset, and the clocks are always put back or forward in the middle of the night. So there could be one night that is one hour shorter (by the clock) and one that is an hour longer.

But I'm sure you already knew that DMcG ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: DMcG
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 04:43 AM

Certainly did: hence my use of the word 'trick'! In fact, to be totally honest I think the question was for the longest month, which reduces the problem of definition a little.

Subject: RE: BS: Which is 2nd longest day???????
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 05:23 AM

I wear the same drawers all year round, Liz - well not the same pair obviously that would be gross!