Sunshine

What is sunshine?

Sunshine refers to direct sunlight which is not blocked by clouds. The sun provides most of our light and heat. Plants use sunlight for photosynthesis. Sunlight is also important for many animals that are active during the daytime.

How do we measure sunshine?

Sunshine is measured in hours, using a sunshine recorder. You can see one in the photo below.

When the sun shines directly on the glass ball, it focuses the rays of the sun on a small card below it and burns a small spot on it. As the sun moves across the sky the burnt spot gets longer and longer. At the end of the day, you can check the length of the burnt area to know how many hours of direct sunlight the area had for that day.