Pseudo Solstice 2024

Here in Helena today, December 10, 2024, is the start of the celestial dance that results in the light winning the battle over darkness and slowly streaming back into the northern hemisphere.

The most well-known part of this dance is the solstice. But the solstice is just moment in time. As is typically the case, the real story is more nuanced.

The sunset this afternoon is nearly identical to what it was yesterday. The evening sun appears to have stopped moving- so this day is referred to by some folks as the winter pseudo-solstice. Tomorrow we will have a few seconds of additional sun time mark the beginning of the end of darkness’ reign over the northern hemisphere. 

The sunsets from today forward, will creep very slowly later into the evening. However, the sunrises are still getting later, and they are doing so at a rate that is faster than the sunsets are getting later. So, in the morning, darkness is willing despite light’s evening advances. As a result of these two measurements, the overall day length is still getting slightly shorter. Until December 21. 

At 2:21am on the 21st, due to our planet’s axial tilt, the sun will appear to standstill from my point of reference and begin to creep back towards the north. Of course, it will be dark, but it will still happen.

From the 21st on, the sunrises are still happening a bit later, but the sunsets are getting later faster than the sunrises are- so there is just a smidgen more light in each day. Light really begins to succeed beginning about January 3, 2025, when the sunrises begin to occur earlier each day – only by a few seconds – and the sunsets also keep getting later.

On Jan 3, the daylight is increasing – albeit very minimally – at both ends of the day.