Nearly an hour of daylight left to lose through winter solstice

It’s that time of the year again.

No, it’s not the holidays, although we are closing in on them. Instead, we’re talking about that time of the year we’re the sunset occurs before 5 p.m.

Following the end to DST, Mid-Missouri saw its sunset an hour earlier. It’s the unofficial start to the winter season, as we continue to see colder nights and shorter days. Those earlier sunsets will continue here in Mid-Missouri until the winter solstice on December 21, in which we will have lost an additional 57 minutes of sunset. This occurs because of the natural tilt of the Earth. From the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice the earth gradually tilts away from the sun, leading to less sunlight and colder days.

Depending on where you live in the country, you can expect to lose anywhere from just under 45 minutes of sunlight to nearly 2 hours from now until the winter solstice.

November 6, 2017 Hours of Daylight: (10 hours 23 minutes)

Sunrise: 6:42 AM

Sunset: 5:03 PM

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December 21, 2017 Hours of Daylight: (9 hours 26 minutes)

Sunrise: 7:24 AM

Sunset: 4:50 PM