When Does It Start Getting Lighter? | .uk

What is Summer Solstice?

Dark mornings and shorter days are gloomy and make working, exercising, and plenty of other activities much less appealing. How much daylight there is at a specific time of year depends on where you live and the winter and summer solstices. Express.co.uk reveals when it is going to get lighter again.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

The year of 2020 was dark in many ways, and we’re all ready for a bright, warm and fun summer.

However, it’s only January so there are just under two months left of winter.

Everyone is sick of the Sun going down at 4pm and not coming up again until 8am and desperate for brighter days.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

But when will it get lighter again? Express.co.uk explains the answer.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE-   Cold Weather Payment: Postcodes triggered as Storm Christoph rages on

When does it start getting lighter: The days are getting longer again (Image: Getty)

When does it start getting lighter: Sick of working in the dark? Don't worry, the sun is rising earlier (Image: Getty)

• Snow forecast: Chart shows heavy snow to blitz Britain in 48 hours

When does it start getting lighter?

Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, and the summer solstice is the longest.

Winter and summer solstice are the days of the year with the fewest or most hours of sunlight.

This happens when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

In summer we are tilted towards the Sun and in winter we have tilted away from it.

The Earth’s tilted axis is why Australia experiences winter when we have summer in the UK and vice versa.

When does it start getting lighter: Summer solstice is the longest day of the year (Image: Getty)

The word solstice comes from the Latin words sol and sistere, which literally means ‘sun’ and ‘stand still’.

This makes sense because, at the solstices, the Sun’s declination appears to stand still.

From Earth, it looks like the Sun pauses on its path at a northern or southern limit and changes direction.

In the UK and Northern Hemisphere Winter solstice was on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 10.02am.

This was the shortest day of the year and the days will only get longer and have increasingly more sunlight until the summer solstice.

In 2020, the summer solstice was at 10.45pm on Saturday, June 20 but this year it is on Monday, June 21 at 4.31am.

This is the longest day of the year in 2021 and after that, the days will get shorter and have less sunlight bit by bit.

DON'T MISS... What time do the clocks go back?  [INFORMER] Daylight saving time: When do the clocks change and go forward?  [INSIGHT] UK snow forecast: 600-mile wall of snow to cover ENTIRE length of UK   [EXPLAINER]

• Heavy snow forecast in 48 hours: Weather chart shows wall of snow a...
• Met Office weather warnings UPDATED: Snow and ice to cover UK

• Manchester snow today: City to be hit by snow - when will it snow?

The exact time of sunrise and sunset differs between cities in the north and south of the UK.

There could be 45 minutes between the most northern and southern points of the nation.

GMT - Greenwich Mean Time - is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, and it’s the time zone that set the baseline for the rest of the world.

If you were to look up the sunrise and sunset time in the UK without specifying your city, it would probably default to Greenwich.

At present, the sun is rising about a minute earlier every day or two.

When does it start getting lighter: GMT is the mean solar time in Greenwich, London (Image: Getty) Your daily horoscope with Russell Grant plus selected offers and competitions Subscribe Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Get More of Our News on Google

Set Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.

The sun rose at 8.06am on January 1 and set at 4.02pm- this is only seven hours and 56 minutes of sunlight.

The sun will rise at 7.39 by February 1 and set at 4.50pm, giving us nine hours and 10 minutes of sunlight.

On March 1, the sun will rise at 6.46am and set at 5.41pm- that’s about 10 hours and 54 minutes of sunlight.

By April 1, the sun will be rising at 6.36am and setting at 7.33pm- this makes the day 12 hours and 57 minutes long.

• Snow forecast: UK braces for ‘significant’ snow
• Beast from the East could hit UK in weeks

On May 1, we’ll have 14 hours and 50 minutes of sunlight with the sun rising at 5.32am and setting at 8.23pm.

On June 1, the sun will rise at 4.49am and set at 9.08pm, giving us 16 hours and 18 minutes of sunlight.

The length of sunlight peaks on June 22, with the sun rising at 4.44am and setting at 9.22pm (16 hours and 38 minutes of sunlight).

From then on, the sunlight hours drops by about 10 to 50 seconds a day for the rest of the month.

The days get shorter and shorter until the winter solstice on Tuesday, December 21 when it peaks and reverses.

This Morning Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments Most Read Most Commented Latest videos 'Brilliant' series with 'the best actor in the business' is flying up the Netflix top 10 Anyone with a jewellery box urged to check it now 'New masterpiece' action thriller as good as John Wick streaming on Prime Video The Traitors star's transformation leaves fans speechless as they look '20 years younger' Donald Trump reveals 'true feelings' about upcoming Melania movie BBC's Only Connect fans stumped over tricky sequence puzzle with 'easy' solution Dad shares 7 screen-free activities to keep toddlers busy at home Window condensation can be stopped altogether with £1 household item Vet warns all cat and dog owners about product often used in winter Mirrors are totally streak-free if you clean them with unusual 1p item Experts warn drivers could face £300 fines for making one common mistake People are urged to stop putting salt on icy paths and use £1 household item I moved to London from New Zealand — everyone always asks me one question Dog trainer names the three 'best breeds in the world' for good behaviour Dog nearly put down given 'second chance' after stranger's life-changing decision Storage expert reveals the one place you shouldn’t keep shoes in January Iconic garden centre announces UK closure after 50 years Drivers using common defrosting technique this winter face £80 fine I made a warming sausage risotto recipe that was more filling with one ingredient UK high street icon with 700 shops shutting in 14 locations within weeks — full list Expert shares ‘inhale’ method to say 'um' less and improve the way you speak Make fresh homemade laundry detergent using 4 cupboard ingredients Primark shoppers warned 'do not use' item as urgent product recall issued Iconic British fashion store to close after 35 years as it announces 'all stock must go' UK banking icon with 400 branches to shut 55 locations in 2026 — full list I was a barista for 7 years — these are four things we're all thinking but won't tell you 'I'm giving my son a normal name but my in-laws are fuming for odd reason' 'I make my wife sit in backseat of our car but there's a good reason' 10 rare Irish baby names for boys and girls you'll want to use straight away Woman opens fortune cookie after cat dies and something amazing happens New Year's resolutions expected to last just 2 months - as top reasons revealed Popular British retailer to close 32 stores this month — full list of affected areas 'I have a normal name but I'm fed up people always say the same thing' Cat owner shares her pet's heartbreaking reaction at realising she's moved to new home 'I live in Henry VIII's 500-year-old haunted palace for a reason you'd never guess' COMPETITION Win £300 Wickes vouchers to start your New Year home makeover Defrost the car windscreen fast by simply pressing 2 buttons together

Daily Express uses notifications to keep you updated

Keep me updated No thanks