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A little reason to celebrate

Sun Day

Nature · May 3

Sun Day turns attention to the star at the center of our solar system, the light it gives and the simple ways people notice it outdoors.

Sun Day falls on Monday, May 3, 2027. That is 188 days away.

The sun is a star, and the nearest one to us. It is a huge ball of hot gas, mostly hydrogen and helium, and it gives Earth the light and warmth that plants and people depend on.

Most of the time it is just there, rising on one side of the sky and setting on the other. Sun Day asks for a little more attention than that. Shadows stretch long in the morning, shrink toward midday and stretch out again in the evening. Plants on a windowsill lean toward the glass. A sidewalk holds the day's heat well after the light is gone.

People mark it in quiet, outdoor ways. Some get up early to watch the sunrise, or step out in the evening to see the sky change color at sunset. Others trace a shadow with chalk and come back an hour later to see how far it has moved, which is roughly how a sundial works.

One rule matters more than any other. Never look straight at the sun, even briefly, and never through binoculars, a camera or a telescope. Watching shadows, reflections and the colors around sunrise and sunset is the safe way to see what it is doing.

Sunlight takes about eight minutes to reach Earth, so the sun you see at any moment is the sun as it was a few minutes earlier.

Ways to celebrate

• Watch the sunrise or sunset from a spot with an open view.
• Trace a shadow in chalk and check how it moves over an hour.
• Make a simple sundial from a stick and a few stones.
• Read about the sun at your local library.

Dates

All national days on May 3

Also on May 3

• National Chocolate Custard Day
• National Paranormal Day
• National Raspberry Popover Day
• Lumpy Rug Day
• National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
• National Garden Meditation Day

Categories: Nature days