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Twelve hours of “daylight”

Today, throughout the UK, civil twilight began almost exactly twelve hours before it will end this evening meaning that we have, for the first time this year, twelve hours of “daylight”. Summer is on its way!

Sunset on Sark, 11 September 2010

Sunset on Sark, 11 September 2010

City Civil Twilight Dawn Civil Twilight Dusk
Glasgow 0632 1828
Manchester 0622 1821
London 0614 1814

Of course some of this “daylight” is what we call twilight, but if you’re outside between these times you will certainly think that the sky is bright, and that the day has begun.

Technically the equinox (“equal night”) doesn’t occur this year until 20 March, with the equilux (“equal light”) occurring a few days before that (it varies around the world but in most of the UK the equilux occurs on 18 March 2011). For a detailed explanation of equinox, equilux and twilight times see my blog post from last March.

  1. March 1, 2011 at 12:42

    EQUINOX EQUATOR
    The traditional calendar places the “Equator” in the wrong place!
    The Equator is an imaginary line around the CENTER of the Earth.
    The traditional calendar does not have the Equator in the center of the Earth but has it about a month above the true Equator therefore the Center of the Sun crosses the Center of the true Equator, causing a true Equinox of equal light and darkness, about a month BEFORE the traditional Equinox. This causes the seasons to be off about a month.
    This can be scientifically proven by shinning a light in the center of a spear. You can use a tennis ball or a globe or any Spear shaped object. When the light is shined in the center of the ball, it will cause ½ of the ball to be light and the other ½ dark, producing EQUAL light and darkness on the ball. The same is true with any Spear “including the Earth”. When the light is moved up or down from the center of the ball, you will notice the shadows changing which represents the seasons because the length of the light and darkness is what causes the seasons. The reason you do not have equal light and darkness at the traditional equinox on March 20 is BECAUSE the Sun DOES NOT shine on the Center of the Earth, or Equator, at that time.
    Conclusion
    The Equinox is when you have equal amounts of light and darkness and this is “only possible” when the center of the Sun is at the “center” of the Earth, or true Equator. This nature made Equinox happens twice each year, around February 16 and October 26 here in Georgia, which is on the same agricultural plain as Israel.

    You can verify this in any Farmer’s almanac. All you have to do is find when the length of the day is 11 hours from sunrise to sunset and this will give you about 30 minutes of light before the Sun is at the horizon and another 30 minutes after the Sun is below the horizon in the West, making a total of 12 hours of light and by default there will be 12 hours of darkness. If you use the traditional 12 hours from sunrise to sunset, you will have 13 hours of light and 11 hours of darkness unless you count the morning and evening light as darkness as they do, which I believe to be unscriptural. Again, this happens about a month before the traditional equinox. Remember it is the light of the Sun shining on the equator, or the center of the Earth, that causes the equal light and darkness/equinox and this does not happen on March 20 therefore the traditional equinox and equator is bogus and should not be used to set the Almighty’s holy feast days each year.
    The Roman calendar thinks to change the seasons, Daniel 7:25, by creating a bogus equator above the true equator that the light reveals. The light makes manifest truth, both natural and spiritual. Only the light of the sun can show where the true equator is. Do the experiment with the ball for yourself. The Scripture speaks negative of moving landmarks and I believe the same could apply here.

    • March 1, 2011 at 13:07

      Hi Arnold, I’m afraid that’s not true. The 12 hours of “daylight” we experience in the UK today is the result of the 10.5 hours when the sun is above the horizon, plus 45 mins at eiether end of the day when we have light in the sky from the sun while it is still below the horizon, what we call twilight.

      The seasons are not, as you say, “off by a month”. They’re exactly as they should be according to where the earth is in its orbit around the Sun, taking into account any local climatic conditions.

      Resorting to the bible as a source of scientific understanding is rarely useful. The celestial equator is a line around the Earth, the projection of the Earth’s equator out into space. This line is simultaneously centred on the centre of the Earth and the surface of the Earth, the three things being concentric.

  2. shmike.uk
    April 20, 2011 at 20:22

    Arnold were do you get your info from? you had me taking notes of a load of bull. hope it wasnt intensional…. Thanks Steve

  3. Robert
    October 31, 2013 at 15:09

    In London, England, on December 27th this year, if twilight was counted as daylight day and night would be equal length. Although sunrise occurs at around 8am and sunset at around 4pm, astronomical twilight starts at exactly 6:02AM GMT (local time) and ends EXACTLY 12 hours later, at 6:02PM GMT.

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