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Strange Universe With Bob Berman
Strange Universe

The darkest afternoon

By Bob Berman
Published December 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM EST
1 of 1  — STRANGE UNIVERSE .jpg
NASA

On December 7 we get the year’s earliest sunset, followed by the shortest day on December 21 and the darkest morning in early January. This timing doesn’t match the solstice because Earth’s tilt and elliptical orbit make our solar day slightly longer than 24 hours as we move fastest near early January. That small shift moves sunrise and sunset milestones off the solstice, meaning the darkest-feeling afternoon of winter arrives now.

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