The Earliest Sunrise of The Year Quickly Approaches
It seems Spring just got here and now the days will begin to shorten in just a couple of weeks. One thing that many people may not realize is that the earliest sunrise of the year doesn’t fall on the longest day of the year, which is June 21st.
So just when is the earliest sunrise? According to the 2019 Farmer’s Almanac, the eventful day will be June 14th at 5:30 AM (at 40° North Latitude and 75° West Longitude).
The 40th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees north of the Earth’s equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The meridian 75° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.
These two points actually cross in the middle of a golf course in New Jersey and is noted with a marker (check-out the YouTube video below).
So why doesn’t the earliest sunrise occur on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year? It has to do with Earth’s elliptical orbit around the Sun and the Sun’s somewhat looping path as seen from Earth. So the brainiac’s say.
So, be a hit with the family..drag the kids out of bed, at 5:20 AM, Friday morning, and proclaim the wonders of nature, as their half-closed eyes search the horizon.