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The one moment when 99% of the world’s population can see the sun

For a single minute at 7:15am, EST, on Friday, July 8, 99% of the world’s population was (7.688 billion people) either in sunlight or twilight and could simultaneously spot the sun in the sky. It’s a minute in time that only happens once a year. The only countries not under sun in that minute were New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Antarctica.

It’s hard not to see, but admittedly if someone wasn’t watching for the phenomenon that unfolded Friday morning, they could have definitely missed it. This does call into question what it means to be seeing the sun. According to the website timeanddate.com, while the claim is technically true, the number of people perceiving sunlight is a bit lower – about 93% of the world’s population.

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“three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
-buddha
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source credits: derek kevra and jack nissen, wjbk news

66 responses »

  14. The solstices and equinoctial points have defined much of our reality, We have the labours of the month, and so much more. Feasts are always celebrated according to the sunlight and darkness. 🌹

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  22. That’s an astonishing fact that I didn’t know about, Beth. When my wife and I rolled into Anchorage, Alaska, around 10:30 p.m. and saw the sun still in the sky one summer night, that was the oddest feeling. I’m already a fussy sleeper, and falling asleep was hard when it wasn’t dark out.

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  25. Pingback: Midnight Sun | ladysighs

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