Completely random brain droppings about Winnipeg

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Most people find sunrises and sunsets to be relaxing.

I just Googled this and got this AI answer:

https://www.google.com/search?client=fir...find+sunrises+and+sunsets+to+be+relaxing

Yes, most people find sunrises and sunsets relaxing due to psychological and physiological factors, including the connection to nature, the release of mood-boosting serotonin, the induction of awe and gratitude, and the natural transition they signal in the daily cycle. Watching these daily natural phenomena is a form of self-care that can reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Psychological & Emotional Benefits

Reduces stress: .
Immersing yourself in natural beauty like a sunrise or sunset can reduce stress levels and put you in a state of "soft fascination," which is mentally stimulating but also calming.

Boosts mood:.
The visual display of colors can trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter, and the exposure to sunlight increases serotonin, which helps improve mood and focus.

Promotes mindfulness:.
These natural displays encourage mindfulness, helping you to pause, reflect on life's beauty, and appreciate the present moment.

Evokes awe and gratitude:.
Sunsets and sunrises can evoke feelings of awe and wonder, which in turn can increase positive emotions, foster gratitude, and improve one's overall mood and well-being.

Physiological Benefits

Regulates circadian rhythm:
The dimming and brightening light of sunsets and sunrises helps to regulate your body's natural sleep-wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm.

Provides a natural cue for relaxation:
A sunset signals the end of the day, helping your nervous system relax and signaling a transition into a more restful state.

Supports vitamin D production:
Exposure to sunlight during a sunrise can increase vitamin D production, which is important for mood regulation.

Why people connect with them

Aesthetic appeal:
The unique colors and beautiful, fleeting nature of sunrises and sunsets are inherently pleasing to the eye.

Symbolism:
Sunrises represent new beginnings and opportunities, while sunsets symbolize closure and reflection, allowing people to process the day's experiences.

Connection to nature:
Engaging with these daily natural phenomena strengthens your connection to the natural world, which is known to have profound benefits for mental and physical health.

So I wasn't just imagining things when I said:

Yesterday while driving from the airport, I found myself much more relaxed than usual for no particular reason (especially since I had just gotten off 6 hours of being in a plane or airports). I was observing all the long shadows, and it occurred to me that all these long shadows were what was making me feel relaxed.

I am absolutely convinced this needs to be a major research topic.

[cabasse]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

In the summer sky, this is what the paths of the sun look like (roughly) between Kansas City and Winnipeg:



When you start getting this far north, the sun in the summer is lower (as it is all year), but its path is longer. That's why you get such early sunrises and late sunsets this far north in the summer.

But the key issue is that it's lower in the sky.

Yesterday I was driving out of the airport, and it was only 3pm and already there were very long shadows as if it were sunset. Yet, there was still more than 6 hours until it actually got dark! As I write this it's 8:45 and still fairly light out. In KC at this time of year it's just about dark.

Even today when I was driving around at 12 noon, the shadows were still somewhat long. I'd say they were similar to what you'd get in KC at around 4 pm.

Think about that: This far north, almost the entire (summer) day consists of light quality that looks like "sunrise" or "sunset."

Most people find sunrises and sunsets to be relaxing. My guess is that's at least partly to do with melatonin production. When you get all these big patches of semi-dark (shadows), it encourages melatonin production, which makes people relaxed.

In KC at this time of year, the sun is very high in the sky and beating down hard on you. There's not as much shade. At least for me, that makes me stressed. I've always found darkness to be relaxing. In my home, once the sun goes down I turn most of the lights off in my house because it relaxes me for a while before I go to bed.

Yesterday while driving from the airport, I found myself much more relaxed than usual for no particular reason (especially since I had just gotten off 6 hours of being in a plane or airports). I was observing all the long shadows, and it occurred to me that all these long shadows were what was making me feel relaxed.

Everything simply looked different than the same time of day in KC. And more relaxing.

My theory is that people living this far north will tend to be more relaxed than ones living farther south, for all these reasons (maybe it doesn't apply to everyone). I also suspect that people like Canadians and others who live this far north don't notice it, it's just "normal" to them.

I kinda noticed this when I was living in Seattle and, especially, Spokane but didn't think much of it. In Seattle, the Cascades block some of the sunrise, and the Olympics block some of the sunset, so even though it's pretty far north, the sunrises and sunsets are blocked off prematurely. Spokane doesn't have nearly the same kind of mountains so it didn't affect the sun as much.

But right now I'm about 2-3 degrees latitude farther north than either Seattle or Spokane, and it's flat as a pancake with no mountains to block either the sunrise or sunset.

growing up in central FL until my teens, i noticed this same thing moving from there to atlanta. (and again from atlanta to detroit) midday is blindingly bright in FL, bright but noticably less so in atlanta, all else being the same. (level of cloud cover, time of day)

[James Bond Agent 007]

I'm going to bump up my old thread from last year because I found a website that calculates exactly the phenomenon I described in the post below.

My next trip will be to Hamburg, Germany, which will be the farthest north I'll ever have been, so I was curious if there was a website somewhere that had stats on the height of the sun in different places around the world on given dates and times. Indeed I found one.

https://www.suncalc.org/

It might take a bit to figure out how to enter all the values, but it's not too hard. Click on the map and it automatically populates some figures, then you have to adjust the date and time and some other stuff if you want.

I played around with it, and finally figured out how to use it.

On September 3 at 1pm, in Kansas City the sun will produce a shadow 1.88 meters in length for an object 3 meters tall:
https://www.suncalc.org/#/39.173,-94.5312,4/2026.09.03/13:00/3/3

On September 3 at 1pm, in Hamburg, the sun will produce a shadow 3.13 meters in length for an object 3 meters tall:
https://www.suncalc.org/#/53.5423,9.8948,6/2026.09.03/13:00/3/3

Back to Winnipeg and KC on the dates I was there last year ...

On August 14 at 1pm, in Kansas City, the sun will produce a shadow 1.43 meters in length for an object 3 meters tall:
https://www.suncalc.org/#/39.0574,-94.5432,7/2025.08.14/13:00/3/3

On August 14 at 1pm, in Winnipeg, the sun will produce a shadow 2.22 meters in length for an object 3 meters tall:
https://www.suncalc.org/#/49.9303,-97.1679,6/2025.08.14/13:00/3/3

So I definitely wasn't imagining things. Will be interesting to see the really long shadows in Hamburg.

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

In the summer sky, this is what the paths of the sun look like (roughly) between Kansas City and Winnipeg:



When you start getting this far north, the sun in the summer is lower (as it is all year), but its path is longer. That's why you get such early sunrises and late sunsets this far north in the summer.

But the key issue is that it's lower in the sky.

Yesterday I was driving out of the airport, and it was only 3pm and already there were very long shadows as if it were sunset. Yet, there was still more than 6 hours until it actually got dark! As I write this it's 8:45 and still fairly light out. In KC at this time of year it's just about dark.

Even today when I was driving around at 12 noon, the shadows were still somewhat long. I'd say they were similar to what you'd get in KC at around 4 pm.

Think about that: This far north, almost the entire (summer) day consists of light quality that looks like "sunrise" or "sunset."

Most people find sunrises and sunsets to be relaxing. My guess is that's at least partly to do with melatonin production. When you get all these big patches of semi-dark (shadows), it encourages melatonin production, which makes people relaxed.

In KC at this time of year, the sun is very high in the sky and beating down hard on you. There's not as much shade. At least for me, that makes me stressed. I've always found darkness to be relaxing. In my home, once the sun goes down I turn most of the lights off in my house because it relaxes me for a while before I go to bed.

Yesterday while driving from the airport, I found myself much more relaxed than usual for no particular reason (especially since I had just gotten off 6 hours of being in a plane or airports). I was observing all the long shadows, and it occurred to me that all these long shadows were what was making me feel relaxed.

Everything simply looked different than the same time of day in KC. And more relaxing.

My theory is that people living this far north will tend to be more relaxed than ones living farther south, for all these reasons (maybe it doesn't apply to everyone). I also suspect that people like Canadians and others who live this far north don't notice it, it's just "normal" to them.

I kinda noticed this when I was living in Seattle and, especially, Spokane but didn't think much of it. In Seattle, the Cascades block some of the sunrise, and the Olympics block some of the sunset, so even though it's pretty far north, the sunrises and sunsets are blocked off prematurely. Spokane doesn't have nearly the same kind of mountains so it didn't affect the sun as much.

But right now I'm about 2-3 degrees latitude farther north than either Seattle or Spokane, and it's flat as a pancake with no mountains to block either the sunrise or sunset.

[MolsonExport]

Really interesting factoids.