Using Your Hand As A Way Of Measuring Time Until Sunset

September 1st, 2010 Posted in Boating

Coping without electrical power or dwelling out of doors means that daylight becomes a very important tool. The sun’s light provides illumination necessary to complete crucial tasks. When you’re aware of how much daylight remains, you’re able to better determine how to best allocate your time.

This is very important; especially in case you are accustomed to a schedule that includes things like a late evening meal and relaxing afterwards. The preparation and clean-up will best be performed while the sun remains shining and you can still see what you’re doing. It’s ANNOYING to wake up in the morning to soiled cookware because there wasn’t sufficient light to do the job right the night before. A quick survey of campers will give you an earful about how much better it really is to put together shelter prior to sunset.

Approximate the time you’ve got until sunset by locating the sun’s position in the sky without staring directly into it. Extend your arm and turn your hand so that you can look at your palm with your fingertips pointing to one side. Note the number of fingers that can fit between the horizon’s edge and the sun. Every thickness of a finger represents about a quarter of an hour’s worth of daylight still left in the day. Therefore, in the event you measured a single width of your hand between the sun and the horizon, there would be around an hour (four fingers X fifteen minutes) until sunset.

This same method can be incorporated during the morning to ascertain how long ago daybreak happened. By calculating the finger widths between the sun and the eastern and western horizons, you’ll be able to calculate how many total hours of daylight you will have at your location. Dividing this measurement in half will show you the approximate number of hours available between midday and daybreak or nightfall. This valuable tool will help you refrain from becoming so absorbed in any solitary task that you simply use up the time needed to accomplish other important things.