Here’s how fast Illinois will start losing daylight after this year’s summer solstice

Meredith Howard
·2 min read

Summer has officially begun in southwestern Illinois, and the days will become shorter in the region and across the hemisphere.

This year’s summer solstice took place June 21, the longest day of 2023, according to Space.com.

The summer solstice is when the sun travels its “northernmost path,” according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac. While this signifies the astronomical beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Now that the summer solstice has passed, the days will get progressively shorter until the winter solstice in late December.

How quickly will the days shorten in Belleville?

The “shortest” day of the year, or the day with the least amount of daylight, will be the winter solstice Dec. 21, according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac.

The days will gradually shorten throughout the summer and fall. Here are some projected sunrise and sunset times for various dates in Belleville, from timeanddate.com:

  • June 30: 5:39 a.m. sunrise, 8:28 p.m. sunset

  • July 15: 5:47 a.m. sunrise, 8:23 p.m. sunset

  • July 31: 6 a.m. sunrise, 8:11 p.m. sunset

  • Aug. 15: 6:14 a.m. sunrise, 7:54 p.m. sunset

  • Aug. 31: 6:28 a.m. sunrise, 7:31 p.m. sunset

  • Sept. 15: 6:41 a.m. sunrise, 7:08 p.m. sunset

  • Sept. 30: 6:54 a.m. sunrise, 6:44 p.m. sunset

  • Oct. 15: 7:08 a.m. sunrise, 6:22 p.m. sunset

  • Oct. 31: 7:25 a.m. sunrise, 6:01 p.m. sunset

  • Nov. 15: 6:41 a.m. sunrise, 4:47 p.m. sunset (Daylight saving time ends Nov. 5.)

  • Nov. 30: 6:57 a.m. sunrise, 4:39 p.m. sunset

  • Dec. 21 (day of the winter solstice): 7:13 a.m. sunrise, 4:42 p.m. sunset

  • Dec. 15: 7:10 a.m. sunrise, 4:39 p.m. sunset

  • Dec. 31: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:48 p.m. sunset