Derbyshire: When will the days start getting longer and lighter in the UK in 2022?

Following the Winter Solstice on December 21st, the amount of daylight that we receive increases by approximately two minutes and eight seconds each day. That may not sound like much, but it will all add up in due time.

Eventually, we’ll reach the longest day of the year on June 21st – the Summer Solstice. On this day in the UK, the sun will rise at approximately 4:43am and set at 9:21pm, according to timeanddate.com. That’s an additional eight hours and 43 minutes of sunlight when compared to the Winter Solstice of 2021.

While the Winter Solstice is active, the Earth rotates on a tilted axis. Currently, the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, while the Southern Hemisphere it angled towards it. This is why it’s currently winter here, while it is summer in the parts of the globe that are located south of the Equator.

You will notice a significant difference in the amount of sunlight hours we get following March 27th – when the clocks “spring forward” an extra hour. By April 17th, the sun will rise at 6am and go down at the perfectly reasonable time of 8pm (almost to the minute). If there’s a day to point towards in hope of sunshine and rainbows, it’s that one.

Right now, the sun is currently ascending at roughly 7:15am and descending at 5:15pm – we’ve still got a long way to go, but sunnier days are in sight.