Where on Earth does the sun rise first? - Livescience.com

Where does the first sunrise happen every day and which place sees the first sunrise of the New Year?

But to keep track of time, humans have established an arbitrary time-keeping system, including time zones and the international date line, which marks the line on Earth where one day ends and the next begins.

"So the agreed-upon 'first' sunrise of the day takes place at the international date line," Hummels said. .

The international date line runs through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, mostly along the 180th-longitude line.

For instance, the international date line juts out nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) east around Kiribati, a collection of islands straddling the equator?

Young Island, an uninhabited island claimed by New Zealand, will therefore sometimes see the first sunrise in the days and weeks around the solstice, including Jan.

However, Young Island only gets the first sunrise of the day 10% to 15% of the time, according to the U.S.

The rest of the time, the light-refracting effects of Earth's atmosphere are so strong that you can continue to see sunlight on Young Island even after the sun dips below the horizon, preventing a true sunset or sunrise.

"The International Date Line snakes between Russia and Alaska traversing the Bering Strait," Hummels said.

In the weeks and even months leading up to June 21, the Russian island sees the first sunrise in the world, Hummels said.