On July 8, for at least a few minutes, 99.9 percent of the world’s population will be exposed to sunlight, according to a rumor .

No, neither flat-Earthers nor doomsday cults who think the Sun will soon consume the Earth claim this. In actuality, the ᴀssertion is (mostly) true.

While you may ᴀssume that most people would be exposed to sunshine on the summer solstice, on June 8 at 11:15 UTC, more people are soaking in the Sun’s rays. This is mostly due to the fact that the only continent outside of the Sun is the sparsely inhabited New Zealand, the moderately populous Indonesia, and the human-free wilderness known as Australia.

But is it true that 99 percent of the earth will experience sunshine simultaneously? According to timeanddate.com’s investigation, the answer is basically and astonishingly yes.

Using their own solar data and population statistics from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, they calculated that around 11:15 UTC, slightly under 80 million people would be experiencing darkness on Earth. The remainder, around 7.7 billion people, will enjoy some degree of solar illumination, ranging from pure sunshine to twilight.

16 percent of the population will see in direct sunlight, which occurs when the Sun is below the horizon yet its light may still be seen. The sun’s rays will still light a portion of the population, but not enough for them to recognize that it is not nightfall.

When the Sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon, which is known as astronomical twilight, you will still get some sunlight, but not enough to proclaim it midday. According to Time and Date, this will be true for around 3% of the population.

In summary, the claim is mostly accurate. At 11:15 UTC today, 99 percent of the world’s population will have seen sunshine.

Reference(s): TimeandDate