This December has been unusually dark and dreary. News outlets reported a week ago that Stockholm had seen less than an hour of sunlight during the first half of the month. Reportedly 1934 holds the record with zero sunlight hours during the entire month.

The whole thing was universally depressing. It got to the point where people at work interrupted meetings to point out reflected sunshine on a tall building two blocks away. Look, a glimpse of the sun!

We’ve finally had some longer stretches of sunlight the past couple of days, and today was the first full day of clear skies, sandwiched between two clear nights as well. It felt like an oppressive weight was lifted off of the world.

Even at night, a clear sky makes a difference. Compared to heavy cloud cover, a proper dark night sky feels… well, not brighter, exactly, but lighter, somehow. It has a luster of its own, and there is a feeling of openness and space.