If you’re tired of the sun setting earlier and earlier each evening, you’ll only have to wait a few more weeks for a bit more sunlight.
That’s because in addition to the end of daylight saving time, when residents turned their clocks back an hour, the winter solstice is less than a month away. The solstice marks the shortest day of sunlight of the year, and once it passes, Kansas residents will slowly start to see more and more daylight.
This year’s winter solstice is Sunday, Dec. 21 at 9:03 a.m. Central Standard Time. It’s also the beginning of astronomical winter. After that shortest day, the sunsets will happen later each day, giving Kansans more daylight.
According to online clock Timeanddate.com, Wichita will see the sun rise at 7:40 a.m. and sunset at 5:14 p.m. Dec. 21, making the length of daylight 9 hours and 33 minutes.
Here’s a look at sunrise and sunset times in Wichita after the winter solstice on Dec. 21:
- Thursday, Dec. 25 (Christmas): Sun rises at 7:42 a.m. and sets at 5:16 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve): Sun rises at 7:44 a.m. and sets at 5:20 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day): Sun rises at 7:44 a.m. and sets at 5:21 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 15: Sun rises at 7:43 and sets at 5:34.
- Saturday, Jan 31: Sun rises at 7:33 a.m. and sets at 5:52 p.m.
A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs when a planet is either tilted the closest to or the farthest from the star it orbits, according to National Geographic.
The solstice occurs twice a year — once in December and once in June. The next summer solstice will occur Sunday, June 21, which marks the longest day of the year.
