Hmmm. Sunlight, stones and Mike. What's the connection?
Let's start with sunlight. NYC, because of its location, enjoys very long summer days. That means lots of sunlight. As of June 10, the sun is rising at 5:24 a.m. and setting at 8:26 p.m. (EDT), making for a day that is at least 15 hours long. Plus, the Eastern sky lightens well before sunrise (don't ask how we know this). The Western sky is not dark until long after sunset.
Let's start with sunlight. NYC, because of its location, enjoys very long summer days. That means lots of sunlight. As of June 10, the sun is rising at 5:24 a.m. and setting at 8:26 p.m. (EDT), making for a day that is at least 15 hours long. Plus, the Eastern sky lightens well before sunrise (don't ask how we know this). The Western sky is not dark until long after sunset.
NYC's latitude is so far north that its days are much longer than summer days in Florida and other Southern locales. In summer, NYC's location makes for more direct sun (brighter and hotter days) and more sunlight period (longer days). (Let's not talk about the short days of winter in NYC. We are glass-half-full people, after all.)
The USA Today graphic below tells the story.
POP QUIZ #1: TRUE or FALSE: So many Italians emigrated to NYC because Italy and NYC are on the same latitude. (Answer below.)
POP QUIZ #2: What is the longest day in 2016 in the Northern Hemisphere and why is it important? (Answer below.)
Pop Quiz #1 Answer: TRUE. Well, the latitude part is true. Believe it or not, parts of Italy are further north than NYC. For example, NYC is at latitude 40°N and Rome is at latitude 41°N. Who knew? The reason for so many Italians emigrating to NYC is a different kettle of fish.
Pop Quiz #2 Answer: The Summer Solstice (usually June 21, but June 20 in 2016), is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It's important because Greg's brother Mike was born on June 21 . . . about a million years ago. So, that's how Mike is connected. (Happy birthday, Mike!)
And what about the stones? Mike was at Stonehenge when the original builders still celebrated the Summer Solstice there.
And what about the stones? Mike was at Stonehenge when the original builders still celebrated the Summer Solstice there.
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| Stonehenge today |
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| Stonehenge when Mike was there |
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| Sunrise on the Summer Solstice--view of the sun above the heel stone in the distance from inside Stonehenge. |
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| A friend of Mike's celebrating the Summer Solstice |
And what might the Summer Solstice sunrise look like here in NYC? Perhaps like the sunrise below.
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| Dawn lights the Queensboro Bridge |
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