It's the Only Day of the Year When 99% of People Are in Sunlight at Once
Here's something crazy we never knew: There's one day a year where . . . for a brief moment . . . 99% of the people on Earth are technically in sunlight all at the same time. And that day is TODAY.
It happens every July 8th at 6:15AM Central Time. The sun doesn't rise until close to 6:00 this time of year though. So how's it even possible?
First, we're not saying the whole planet has sunlight, just places with people. And the word "technically" is key, because some aren't fully lit up like you're thinking.
At that exact moment, 83% of populated areas are in full daylight, including Africa, Europe, and most of Asia. Meanwhile, 7% are in twilight, where the sun is rising or setting. And 6% are in "nautical twilight," where it's basically dark.
The remaining 3% are in "astronomical twilight," where the sun is well below the horizon. So to the human eye, it's dark out. But there's still a tiny bit of indirect light that only matters if you're looking at stuff through a telescope.
Only 93% of us can actually see any light at that moment. But technically, just 1% are looking at a totally dark sky, mostly in Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea.
(Here's a graphic that shows it.)
Originally posted on July 8th, 2022