Just How Much Daylight Have We Already Lost Here In Minnesota?

If you're like me, you're still in the mindset that it's the beginning of summer-- doesn't it seem like it was just Memorial Day? It's not, of course. The Vikings are back in training camp, the calendar will flip over to August this weekend, and our sunsets are slipping back into the 8 pm hour. But just how much daylight have we lost so far?

Well, according to this Facebook post from Belinda Jensen, chief meteorologist at KARE-11 in Minneapolis, thanks to those earlier sunsets and later sunrises, we've already lost nearly 50 minutes of daylight since June 21st! That day, of course, is also known as the summer solstice or longest day of the year-- the day with the most hours of sunlight.

Here's how Belinda said it breaks down:

"* June 21- Longest day of the year, 15 hr, 36 minutes of sunlight,  5:27 am to 9:03 pm
* Today- 5:56 am to 8:43 pm, 49 minutes less daylight since June 21.
* August 29- 6:32 am to 7:55 pm, 2 hours and 13 minutes less sunlight since June 21.
* December 21- Shortest day of the year, 8 hr, 47 minutes of sunlight, 7:47 am to 4:34 pm"

But why do our sunrises and sunsets vary so much throughout the year? With a review of some high school physical science, KARE meteorology intern, Elizabeth Schenk, explains:

"It's mainly due to the tilt of the earth on its axis, relative to the sun. When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, during our summer season, more direct sunlight is received, the temperatures are warmer, and the days are longer. The longest day of the year, or the summer solstice, usually occurs on June 21; Minnesota sees 15 hours and 36 minutes of sunlight!  When the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, during our winter season, we experience much colder temperatures and shorter days. The winter solstice occurs around December 21, where we see only 8 hours and 47 minutes of sunlight."

So that explains it. But even though our seasons are evenly split between the time we're gaining sunlight (Dec 21st - June 21st) and losing sunlight (June 21st - Dec 21st), science has yet to figure out why it seems like our summer season goes by so fast!