Congratulations! You have made it! As I type this and when you read it the northern hemisphere you will have endured the earliest setting of the sun. For the next few days the earth will seemingly pause with sunset happening at the same time each transition to night, but be assured, each day the sun sets a little later each day. On its way to March when the days lengthen by so much it will seem like summer is right around the corner.
Some of you may be protesting, “wait, winter solstice does not happen until the 2lst or 22nd, that shortest day.” Yes, that is true. Because the sun rising happens later each day. This later and later continues until the 26th of December. This turning around, these shortest days of the winter actually starts on December 3, From then until the 16th the change is just a few seconds all labeled as 4:27 for Portland, Oregon. After that time the sun sets later and later. The sunrise takes until 7:50 in Portland. So shortest day overall is on the 21st the latest sunrise is on January 3 (until the 7th before it makes it into the next minute) earliest sunset on December 7th and everything is getting longer and longer on January 7.
Good thing Daniel accepts pieces shorter than a full page. I am off to watch the sun set for a day in which we can.
Rain is on its way.
— MichaelRpdx :: ih3k