With summer winding down, South Carolinians are already experiencing a slight shift in the sky: the days are gradually getting shorter.
The summer solstice marks the moment the Northern Hemisphere tilts most directly toward the sun, and the sun reaches its northernmost point relative to the equator. It’s not a fixed calendar date, but the summer solstice is usually on or about June 21.
On the summer solstice, which is also the longest day of the year, South Carolina enjoyed more than 14 hours and 25 minutes of daylight. However, as soon as the solstice passes, daylight begins to decrease by about 3 minutes each day.
By the end of August, South Carolina will see a loss of around 50 minutes of daylight.
Data from Time and Date shows how quickly those daylight hours will continue to shift over the coming months:
- Fall Equinox (Sept. 22): By the official first day of autumn, Columbia will see sunrise at 7:12 a.m. and sunset at 7:20 p.m., leaving 12 hours and 11 minutes of daylight.
- Winter Solstice (Dec. 21): The shortest day of the year will bring Columbia just under 9 hours and 53 minutes of daylight.
While the loss of sunlight happens slowly at first, the daily drop will continue steadily until the winter solstice in late December.