June 29, 2018 - News Post

I watched the sun set. And then, a short while later, I watched it set again.

You can do this at home, assuming you have a good view of the horizon. Lay down on the ground, stare directly at the sun for several minutes or hours until it sets. Then, pop up to your feet the instant it disappears from view. You should be able to catch the sun dropping for another split second.

Is your view of the sun obstructed? I recommend laying on long stretches of highway, where you know you’ll have a clear view of the horizon.

In my case, I tend to get all lightheaded when I stand up too fast. So I tried this from a plane.

Due to lucky timing, a plane I took out west boarded at sunset. I watched the sun set on the horizon on the ground. Then, a few minutes later, my flight took off. As we climbed higher and higher, the sun popped above the horizon in its entirety-- just for me!

I've wanted to see that since childhood.

Because we were heading west, it took over an hour for the sun to set again. And because we were also heading north in June (near the summer solstice), it stayed dusk for 5 hours-- the entire duration of the flight. I know this happens for thousands of people every day. Nevertheless, seeing the double sunset was a first for me, and it felt special.

Sure, I could've saved hundreds of dollars if I just laid on the ground and stood up. But there’s nothing special about that, and I wanted to feel special.

I still do.

-Jeff