Rule of Light

These are not days of darkness in theory only. Our dimming prospects for order and the rule of law have their corollary in this month of weak sun.

The light in our fair county progresses stingily this time of year. Evenings stretch by one minute per day from January 3-27, then by two minutes on January 28 and back to one minute for the rest of the month.

Mornings are far stingier. From January 1-11 there is no change in the sun’s arrival: 7:27. From 12-14, 7:26. For 15-18 it rises at 7:25, then for two days each at 7:24 and 7:23. It rises at 7:22 on January 22^nd then gains a minute every one or two days for the rest of the month.

Total morning change in January is 7:27 – 7:15, twelve minutes of extra light for early risers. Our evenings go from 4:58 to 5:29, gaining 31 minutes of light. The total gain for the month is less than three-quarters of an hour: 43 minutes.

Last month the 7:27 sunrises began on 12/29. Even after the winter solstice, 12/21, the sun continued rising later and later: 7:24, 7:25, 7:26, then two solid weeks at 7:27 into the new year. The tipping point for sunsets occurred between 12/5-12/8, going from five consecutive days at 4:47 to two consecutive days at 4:46, then returning to 4:47 from 12/8 – 12/13.

This is for Fairfax County, Virginia. In Caracas, January brings just nine additional minutes of light to the day.

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