{"id":3552,"date":"2010-02-21T07:08:26","date_gmt":"2010-02-21T12:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2021-10-15T06:26:27","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T11:26:27","slug":"sunrise-and-sunset-over-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/sunrise-and-sunset-over-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunrise and Sunset over Water"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I posted an article on east coast sunsets over water<\/a> nearly a lifetime ago in Internet time, way back in November 2008. I described peculiar instances where observers could experience sunsets totally over water on the eastern coast of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about it. People on the eastern side of any landmass don\u2019t have many opportunities to view sunsets over water. Sure, they can observe sunrises<\/em> over water all over the place but sunsets are another matter entirely. Those places do exist in a few lucky spots under optimal geographic conditions, and we had lots of fun exploring them vicariously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Port
Theoretical west coast sunrise over water at Port Angeles, Washington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next we flipped the concept over to its opposite side and searched for west coast sunrises totally over water<\/a>. We proved that it sometimes happens in the United States. However it occurs much less frequently than their eastern counterparts due to coastal mountains interfering with the line of sight and other factors. Once again we had a great time in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Double the Difficulty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This has entertained me ever since. I\u2019ve searched maps for variations on these phenomena, not obsessively but occasionally as the notion struck me. I’ve been trying to discover spots — anywhere, not just the United States — where it should be possible to observe both a sunrise and<\/em> a sunset totally over water from the same position each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Necessary Alignment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This requires an alignment of somewhat unusual and specific conditions. The landform needs to be extremely narrow, maybe a needle-like peninsula, a razor-thin isthmus, the sandspit of a tombolo<\/a> or something of that nature. This geographic feature needs to align roughly North-South while taking axial tilt into consideration. Finally any other landform either east or west needs to be at least several kilometres away to remain beyond the sight horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under these ideal conditions, hypothetically, I should be able to observe the rising sun float from the waters each morning as I sipped my coffee and follow the setting sun as it dips back into the sea in the evening while I enjoyed a cocktail, all from the lovely deck of my fictional beach home that I\u2019d construct specifically for this purpose. This will take place after I win the lotto of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promising Locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve found many places where this phenomenon might exist, at least theoretically. Squiggly shorelines with lots of peninsulas are a good bet. I\u2019ve compiled a few promising spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Chile<\/a><\/li>
  • Argentina<\/a><\/li>
  • Australia<\/a><\/li>
  • Maybe even at Cape Cod, Massachusetts<\/a> at times.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    A Prime Contender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    My most promising candidate, however, is Point Pelee in Ontario, Canada. Does that place sound familiar? Why yes, of course, it’s the southernmost point on mainland Canada<\/a>. It also represents a rare double geo-anomaly, which means that I really need to add this feature to my travel wish list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n