Sunwhile

Sunwhile is a neologism used in informal writing to denote the period during which the sun is above the horizon, commonly equated with daylight hours. The term blends sun with while to emphasize a temporal window defined by solar availability rather than fixed clock time. It is not a formal unit of measurement and does not specify solar altitude or twilight conditions, making its precise boundaries variable among users.

In practice, sunwhile is discussed in contexts such as travel planning, outdoor recreation, photography, and solar energy assessment. For example, guides may note the sunwhile as the best window for sightseeing, while photographers might refer to the sunwhile for scheduling shoots around daylight quality, including morning and late afternoon light. In solar engineering, the concept can be used informally to describe the window of potential daytime energy capture, distinct from hourly insolation metrics.

Geographically and seasonally, the length of the sunwhile changes with latitude and time of year; at high latitudes it can be short in winter and long in summer, whereas near the equator daylight tends to be more constant. Because it is informal, the term lacks strict criteria and may be defined differently by writers.

Origins of the word are informal, appearing in online glossaries and some popular science or lifestyle outlets rather than in technical dictionaries. As such, sunwhile should be interpreted contextually, with attention to any explicit limits or definitions provided by the author.