[corvo45]

Good Morning,


Although the shortest day is not till Dec.22nd. Sunset times are already becoming earlier earlier.

Why is this?


Thank you.

Archie

[ebaines]

As the earth moves towards the winter solstice the days become shorter and the nights correspondingly longer. This is due to the tilt of the earth's axis compard to the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. For the northern hemisphere the tilt means that the north pole is tipped away from the sun, so that as the earth rotates each day about its axis anyone located in the northern hemisphere spnds more time in darkness than in sunlight. Through December 22 the tilt axis each day points more directly away from the sun, and hence the nights are getting longer, which means the sun sets earlier.