Moscow could have easily become the number one tourist spot for Twilight Saga lovers, as the Russian capital received less than seven minutes of direct sunlight for the entirety of December – a perfect treat for vampire fans.
December in Moscow is not exactly the brightest time of year anyway. Between the long nights and cloudy skies, only 18 hours of direct sunlight grace the Russian capital in an average December.
But in the last month of 2017, the veil of darkness was only lifted for a combined total of six to seven minutes. That makes it the darkest month observed in history, and has apparently led to feelings of depression among locals – except maybe the occasional creature of the night.
“According to calculations by Moscow State University’s observatory, the duration of sunshine in December was only 0.1 hours. Six to seven minutes,” Roman Vilfand, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, said on Tuesday. “Once learning about this, many people say, ‘Now I get it why I was depressed.’”
This beats the record of December 2000 by a fair margin. Back then, Moscow was graced with a generous three hours of direct sunlight.