For those of you who missed it last night, we had a total lunar eclipse, which the cold, clear weather in Chicago let us see perfectly:
It's time for the semi-annual update of the Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
| Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
| 2008 |
| 4 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct 28 |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:14 |
| 28 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
| 5 Feb |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
17:11 |
10:10 |
| 20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
17:30 |
10:49 |
| 27 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:30 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
| 8 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 12th
Earliest sunset until Oct 28th |
06:14 |
17:50 |
11:36 |
| 9 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins
Latest sunrise until Oct 22nd |
07:12 |
18:51 |
11:39 |
| 16 Mar |
7am sunrise, 7pm sunset
12-hour day |
07:00 |
19:00 |
12:00 |
| 20 Mar |
Equinox 00:48 CDT |
06:54 |
19:04 |
12:10 |
| 3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:19 |
12:49 |
| 13 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
| 22 Apr |
6am sunrise |
05:59 |
19:41 |
13:31 |
| 10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:35 |
20:00 |
14:24 |
| 15 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:05 |
14:34 |
| 14 Jun |
Earliest sunrise of the year |
05:15 |
20:28 |
15:13 |
| 20 Jun |
Solstice 18:59 CDT |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:15 |
| 21 Jun |
8:30pm sunset |
05:16 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
| 27 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:18 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
| 2 Jul |
8:30pm sunset |
05:20 |
20:30 |
15:09 |
| 16 Jul |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:24 |
14:55 |
| 8 Aug |
8pm sunset |
05:52 |
20:00 |
14:08 |
| 16 Aug |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:49 |
13:48 |
| 28 Aug |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
| 15 Sep |
6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset |
06:30 |
19:00 |
12:29 |
| 22 Sep |
Equinox, 10:44 CDT |
06:39 |
18:48 |
12:08 |
| 25 Sep |
12-hour day |
06:42 |
18:42 |
12:00 |
| 2 Oct |
6:30pm sunset |
06:49 |
18:30 |
11:40 |
| 12 Oct |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
18:14 |
11:13 |
| 21 Oct |
6pm sunset |
07:11 |
18:00 |
10:48 |
| 1 Nov |
Latest sunrise of the year
Latest sunset until Mar 5th |
07:24 |
17:45 |
10:20 |
| 2 Nov |
Standard time returns
Earliest sunrise until Mar 2nd |
06:25 |
16:43 |
10:18 |
| 6 Nov |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
16:39 |
10:08 |
| 15 Nov |
4:30pm sunset |
06:41 |
16:30 |
9:48 |
| 2 Dec |
7am sunrise |
07:01 |
16:20 |
9:19 |
| 8 Dec |
Earliest sunset of the year |
07:06 |
16:20 |
9:13 |
| 21 Dec |
Solstice, 06:04 CST |
07:16 |
16:23 |
9:07 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.
We atheists need holidays, too; why not an astronomical event? Eight minutes past midnight in Chicago tonight, light a candle to mark the bottom of the analemma.
This is one of my favorite milestones. Thanks to the analemma, tonight's sunset (4:20 pm) is the earliest of the year in Chicago. Of course, the sunrise still gets later every day until January 4th. At least tomorrow we'll have just a smidge more evening light than we'll have today.
I can't remember the last time Chicago got all the way through October without a freezing day. This year, even by November 2nd, we still haven't officially had a freeze.
Also, tomorrow has Chicago's latest sunrise: 7:25 am. For those 33 years old and under, it's the latest sunrise ever. (During the 1973 energy crisis, Chicago didn't return to Standard Time in the fall.)
Delayed edit, 11:05pm: Moments after posting this, O'Hare recorded its first freezing temperature since April 16th.
It's time for the semi-annual update of the Evanston/Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.)
| Date |
Significance |
Sunrise |
Sunset |
Daylight |
| 2007 |
| 1 Jul |
8:30pm sunset |
05:19 |
20:30 |
15:11 |
| 17 Jul |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:24 |
14:54 |
| 9 Aug |
8pm sunset |
05:52 |
20:00 |
14:08 |
| 17 Aug |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:49 |
13:48 |
| 29 Aug |
7:30pm sunset |
06:13 |
19:30 |
13:17 |
| 15 Sep |
6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset |
06:30 |
18:59 |
12:28 |
| 23 Sep |
Equinox, 04:51 CDT |
06:39 |
18:47 |
12:08 |
| 26 Sep |
12-hour day |
06:42 |
18:42 |
12:00 |
| 3 Oct |
6:30pm sunset |
06:49 |
18:29 |
11:39 |
| 13 Oct |
7am sunrise |
07:01 |
18:13 |
11:12 |
| 21 Oct |
6pm sunset |
07:10 |
18:00 |
10:50 |
| 3 Nov |
Latest sunrise of the year
Latest sunset until Mar 2nd |
07:25 |
17:43 |
10:17 |
| 4 Nov |
Standard time returns
Earliest sunrise until Feb 29th |
06:27 |
16:41 |
10:14 |
| 7 Nov |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
16:38 |
10:07 |
| 15 Nov |
4:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
16:30 |
9:49 |
| 2 Dec |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
16:20 |
9:20 |
| 8 Dec |
Earliest sunset of the year |
07:06 |
16:20 |
9:13 |
| 21 Dec |
Solstice, 18:08 CST |
07:15 |
16:22 |
9:06 |
| 2008 |
| 4 Jan |
Latest sunrise until Oct 28 |
07:19 |
16:33 |
9:13 |
| 28 Jan |
5pm sunset |
07:08 |
17:00 |
9:52 |
| 5 Feb |
7am sunrise |
07:00 |
17:11 |
10:10 |
| 20 Feb |
5:30pm sunset |
06:40 |
17:30 |
10:49 |
| 27 Feb |
6:30am sunrise |
06:30 |
17:38 |
11:08 |
| 8 Mar |
Earliest sunrise until April 12th
Earliest sunset until Oct 28th |
06:14 |
17:50 |
11:36 |
| 9 Mar |
Daylight savings time begins
Latest sunrise until Oct 22nd |
07:12 |
18:51 |
11:39 |
| 16 Mar |
7am sunrise, 7pm sunset
12-hour day |
07:00 |
19:00 |
12:00 |
| 20 Mar |
Equinox 00:48 CDT |
06:54 |
19:04 |
12:10 |
| 3 Apr |
6:30am sunrise (again) |
06:30 |
19:20 |
12:50 |
| 12 Apr |
7:30pm sunset |
06:15 |
19:30 |
13:15 |
| 21 Apr |
6am sunrise |
06:00 |
19:40 |
13:39 |
| 10 May |
8pm sunset |
05:35 |
20:01 |
14:25 |
| 15 May |
5:30am sunrise |
05:30 |
20:06 |
14:35 |
| 14 Jun |
Earliest sunrise of the year |
05:15 |
20:29 |
15:13 |
| 18 Jun |
8:30pm sunset |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:14 |
| 20 Jun |
Solstice 18:59 CDT |
05:15 |
20:30 |
15:15 |
| 27 Jun |
Latest sunset of the year |
05:17 |
20:31 |
15:13 |
You can get sunrise information for your location at wx-now.com.
The June Solstice happens in 15 minutes, at 1:06pm CDT. Happy Summer! (Or, you know, winter, for the one-third of the world who live in the Southern Hemisphere.)
The clouds broke this evening just long enough for me to see the eclipse. As they say in Boston: wicked cool.
The eclipse will be total from 4:44 pm CT to 5:58 pm, so when the moon rises over Chicago at 5:39 pm it will appear a deep red. (If it appears at all, of course; the weather will likely be cloudy.)
Observers on the East Coast will have a better view; Europeans will get to see the whole thing.