It is so curious that for some it should be a holiday

You may have seen a post on social media that mentions that on July 8, around 11:15 UTC, 99% of the world’s population is bathed in sunlight. The author of one of these publications points at X that this should have a name and, at the same time, be festive. I won’t be the one to reject your idea of ​​turning it into a holiday. But, while we’re at it, let’s be strict: this happens for almost two months a year. Who wants just one festive day while being able to have a long vacation?

Fact check. In 2022, when the first publication went viral the astronomy website timeanddate analyzed its contentconfirming that, indeed, exactly what it says happens on July 8. 99% of the world’s population is illuminated by sunlight at the same time for a few minutes. However, a year later did a new analysis in which they pointed out that, in reality, it is a much longer phenomenon, since it occurs between May 18 and July 17. Since then, other publications about July 8 have continued to be published on networks, ignoring the fact that it is not an exceptional date on the calendar. In any case, although it is a longer period than what the networks say, it is still interesting.

Asymmetry. The world population is not evenly distributed between the two terrestrial hemispheres for several reasons. To begin with, 68% of the mainland and therefore habitable land is in the northern hemisphere. In addition, there are more job opportunities here, so over the years many people have emigrated there. As a consequence, approximately 88% of the world’s population lives in the northern hemisphere. This means that, throughout the year, there are times when more than 90% of the population is illuminated by the sun.

The reasons. The equator is a fixed line that separates the northern and southern hemispheres and has an inclination of 90º with respect to the poles. On the other hand we have the terminatorwhich is another imaginary line that separates the half of the planet that is under sunlight from the half that is in the dark. If the Earth were not tilted, both lines would coincide; but, due to the inclination of the earth’s axis, they only coincide at the equinoxes. The rest of the year they are different, hence there are not always the same number of people bathed in sunlight. Although normally it is 90% of the population that coincides under the Sun, there is a time of year in which the terminator is located right between the most densely populated area and the one that is least populated. That leaves 99% of people who, for a few minutes, see some clarity on the horizon.

Just a few minutes. This is estimated to occur between 11:00 and 11:03 UTC, although there are calculations that point to a start at 11:15 UTC, which would coincide with the Internet publication. In that short period of time, only Australia, New Zealand and a part of Southeast Asia and Antarctica will remain completely dark.

Not everyone has the same sunlight. It should be noted that, although there is talk of 99% of people being in sunlight, not all of them are equally illuminated. In order for this 99% to be counted, it is important to take into account both those who are in places with the Sun high in the sky and those who have already passed sunset and only see the light that appears above the horizon after our star has hidden below. It’s still light, although obviously the lighting levels are not the same.

Ultimately, the internet publications were right, but it is not something as special as just one day. For two months, there is a very high percentage of the population that sees sunlight at the same time. On the days around May 18 and July 17 it may be more like 98% than 99%, but, in general, it is almost all of humanity bathed in the light of our star at the same time. Today you are late, but tomorrow will also be one of those days, so, at 1:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time, look at the sky and remember that almost everyone on the planet is seeing the same light as you.

Images | reddit

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