Day

an astronomical term of varied meaning. Ordinarily it is the period of light, as distinguished from the darkness or night. It also means a period of twenty-four hours. In the latter sense the day of the Babylonians, from whom we have many astronomical ideas, began at sunrise. Among the Jews and Greeks the day began at the going down of the sun. This was formerly the observance in New England. All labor and play ceased at sunset Saturday. As soon as the sun went down Sunday the children of the village burst forth with many shouts to play. Among the Egyptians and Romans the day began at midnight. Our day, derived from legal sources, that is to say, from Roman law, has finally prevailed over the Hebrew day as derived from the Bible. The question of convenience has been a determining factor. It would be gain in many respects if the twenty-four hours of the day were numbered from one to twenty-four consecutively, making 2 P. M. 14 o'clock, etc.

The day, as distinguished from the night, is of uniform length only on the equator. The summer day lengthens as we go from the equator toward either pole. The following table gives the length of the longest day in different latitudes:

The longest day for each locality equals the longest night for the same locality, but it comes six months later. When a locality in the northern hemisphere is having its longest day and shortest night, the corresponding locality in the southern hemisphere is having its shortest day and longest night.

See Season; Norway; Equinox