Earliest sunrises before summer solstice
Or – if you live in the S. Hemisphere – your earliest sunsets are taking place around now. Either way, it happens about a week before the solstice.
At mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the earliest sunrises of the year happen around mid-June, despite the fact that the summer solstice – the year’s longest day – is still about a week away. And if you live at middle latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, the earliest sunsets take place around now, even though the winter solstice – the year’s shortest day – isn’t for another week.
For those of you who are privileged enough to be outdoors before one of these early sunrises, you’ll find some of the most beautiful dawn twilights of the year.
The exact date of earliest sunrise varies with latitude. At 40o north latitude – the latitude of, say, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania – the earliest sunrise of the year will happen on June 13. For that same latitude, the latest sunset of the year will fall on or near June 27. This is in spite of the fact that the longest day of the year (in terms of daylight) comes on the June summer solstice.
So it is for other Northern Hemisphere latitudes. The dates of earliest sunrise and latest sunset do not coincide exactly with the solstice. Appreciably south of Philadelphia’s latitude, the earliest sunrise has already come and gone (in late May or early June) and the latest sunset occurs at a later date (sometimes as late as July). In Hawaii, for instance, the earliest sunrise precedes the June solstice by about 2 weeks, and the latest sunset comes about 2 weeks after. Farther north, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset happen closer to the June solstice. Check it out at your latitude, using links on our almanac page.
The earliest sunrises come before the summer solstice because the day is more than 24 hours long at this time of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, the earliest sunsets of the year come before the winter solstice for the same reason.
In June, the day (as measured by successive returns of the midday sun) is nearly 1/4 minute longer than 24 hours. Hence, the midday sun (solar noon) comes later by the clock on the June solstice than it does one week before. Therefore, the sunrise and sunset times also come later by the clock, as the tables below help to explain.
For Philadelphia (40o north latitude)
| Date | Sunrise | Midday (Solar Noon) | Sunset | Daylight Hours |
| June 13 | 5:31 a.m. | 1:01 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 14h 59m 04s |
| June 20 | 5:32 a.m. | 1:02 p.m. | 8:33 p.m. | 15h 00m 38s |
For Valdivia, Chile (40o south latitude)
| Date | Sunrise | Midday (Solar Noon) | Sunset | Daylight Hours |
| June 13 | 9:12 a.m. | 1:53 p.m. | 6:34 p.m. | 9h 22m 12s |
| June 20 | 9:14 a.m. | 1:55 p.m. | 6:35 p.m. | 9h 20m 42s |
Bottom line: The earliest sunrises of the year in either hemisphere always come before the summer solstice. The exact date of your earliest sunrise depends on your latitude, but the sequence is always the same: earliest sunrise, solstice, latest sunset.
Author


Three of Cups
Isa
Conch Shell







Water Reversed
The Queen of Wands
Six of Cups Reversed

Strength denotes an inner power, mastery of will and development of inner might. Through mastering one’s emotions and learning from both success and failure the person Strength represents has reached a place where they are influential without applying physical force, able to weather the roughest of storms, and not likely to abandon the less fortunate. Strength also denotes a large capacity for forgiveness and compassion. Strength is not as much about winning as it is about overcoming hardship, and using well crafted persuasion to ease others to your side.
This card represents the dreamer in you, the idealist, the mystic. The Fool desires to do great things, but is often unaware of just how difficult great things are to do. He must always be very careful of the choices he makes, and remember knowledge is his ally. The Fool often symbolizes a new beginning, unrestrained optimism, and curiosity that hasn’t been dulled by time. While The Fool may well indicate a lack of experience or grasp of the pitfalls along the path he is taking, it is equally true that his lack of experience leads him to believe all things are possible, which brings even impossible goals within his grasp.

You must be logged in to post a comment.