Updated November 2026 · times calculated, not observed
When is the earliest sunset of the year?
The earliest sunset comes one to three weeks before the winter solstice: in 2026 around December 8 in New York, December 4 in Los Angeles and December 12 in London. The shortest day is still December 21. The two are different because sunset times and day length are pulled by different things.
As timeanddate.com explains, a solar day is not always exactly 24 hours. Around the solstice it runs a little longer, so solar noon drifts later each day, and sunrise and sunset drift with it. That drift beats the shrinking day length in early December. So sunsets start getting later while mornings keep getting darker, until the latest sunrise in early January.
The evenings turn the corner before the days do.
Who this page is not for
If you are near the equator, the earliest sunset still exists (often in November), but the whole year only moves sunset by about an hour, so it hardly matters. If you are above the Arctic Circle, the Sun may not rise at all in December and this calculator will say so. And if you just need tonight's sunset, any weather app has it.
Quick quiz: three winter-light questions
Question 1 of 3
Earliest sunset questions
When is the earliest sunset of the year?
In the Northern Hemisphere it falls in late November or December, before the winter solstice. In 2026 our calculation puts it around December 8 in New York and Chicago, December 4 in Los Angeles, and December 12 in London. Closer to the equator it comes earlier; further from it, closer to the solstice.
Why isn't the earliest sunset on the shortest day?
Because solar noon drifts later by a few seconds a day in December. Around the solstices, a solar day runs a little longer than 24 hours, so sunrise and sunset both slide later. Sunsets start getting later before the days start getting longer, which puts the earliest sunset ahead of the solstice and the latest sunrise after it.
When is the latest sunrise?
In early January for most mid-latitude places in the Northern Hemisphere: around January 4, 2027 in New York and around December 30, 2026 in London, by our calculation.
When do evenings start getting lighter?
Straight after the earliest sunset. By the solstice your sunset is already a couple of minutes later than its earliest, even though total daylight is at its minimum.
Is the Southern Hemisphere the same?
Mirrored. In Sydney the earliest sunset falls in mid-June, before the June solstice, and the latest sunrise at the end of June. For southern cities the finder shows the next one, in 2027.
Does Asterfold show this?
Asterfold's Light Path Studio draws the Sun's real path for any place and date and has shortcuts to the year's key dates, such as the longest and shortest day. Free includes 45 days of sky events; Asterfold Plus adds a year of sky events.
Earliest sunset vs shortest day vs latest sunrise, by city
We calculated these for 2026 and 2027 with NOAA's published solar equations, the same code the finder above runs in your browser.
The clock minute often holds for several days around the earliest date; we list the day with the earliest second.
The further from the equator, the closer the earliest sunset sits to the solstice.
What Asterfold shows for winter evenings
We make Asterfold, a sunset planner for iPhone. These are its own store screenshots, toned to the page.
