Much fuss is being made over the upcoming early daylight savings shift impending this weekend. The basis of fiddling with nature's timetable appears noble - to conserve energy and maximize sunlight. But even the Department of Energy, who has been tracking daylight savings for decades admits the conservation is minimal.
What I find even more intriguing is the infinitesimal increase of sunlight throughout the winter days. I actually make a study of this as I commute back home on the NJ Transit. The month of February was downright depressing. The sun set just after 5:00 pm. Which meant as soon as one finished work and went about the commute home, the sun was gone. I tracked the sun devotedly, using my train schedule as a guideline. If I caught the 5:25 train I could catch the last filtered rays of sun as they flitted over the horizon. With each day we gain one minute of sunlight. So by the end of February, we actually could ride the train home to the glorious rays of a New Jersey sunset. And yes they are glorious, don't you know about the effect pollution has on the atmosphere?
But on March 11th, as we spring forward one hour we gain an earlier sunrise and yes, one extra hour of sunset viewing. Happy sunning.
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