Here’s how quickly Kentucky will lose daylight after this year’s summer solstice
Summer has officially begun in Central Kentucky, and the days will become shorter in the region and across the hemisphere.
This year’s summer solstice took place June 21, the longest day of 2023, according to Space.com.
The summer solstice is when the sun travels its “northernmost path,” according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac. While this signifies the astronomical beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
Now that the summer solstice has passed, the days will get progressively shorter until the winter solstice in late December.
How quickly will the days shorten in Lexington?
The “shortest” day of the year, or the day with the least amount of daylight, will be the winter solstice Dec. 21, according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac.
The days will gradually shorten throughout the summer and fall. Here are some projected sunrise and sunset times for various dates in Lexington, from timeanddate.com:
June 30: 6:18 a.m. sunrise, 9:04 p.m. sunset
July 15: 6:27 a.m. sunrise, 9 p.m. sunset
July 31: 6:39 a.m. sunrise, 8:48 p.m. sunset
Aug. 15: 6:52 a.m. sunrise, 8:31 p.m. sunset
Aug. 31: 7:06 a.m. sunrise, 8:09 p.m. sunset
Sept. 15: 7:19 a.m. sunrise, 7:46 p.m. sunset
Sept. 30: 7:32 a.m. sunrise, 7:22 p.m. sunset
Oct. 15: 7:46 a.m. sunrise, 7 p.m. sunset
Oct. 31: 8:02 a.m. sunrise, 6:39 p.m. sunset
Nov. 15: 7:18 a.m. sunrise, 5:25 p.m. sunset (Daylight saving time ends Nov. 5.)
Nov. 30: 7:33 a.m. sunrise, 5:18 p.m. sunset
Dec. 15: 7:46 a.m. sunrise, 5:19 p.m. sunset
Dec. 21 (day of the winter solstice): 7:50 a.m. sunrise, 5:21 p.m. sunset
Dec. 31: 7:53 a.m. sunrise, 5:27 p.m. sunset
Do you have a question about the night sky in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
