“We’re talking about seconds,” says Kim Rupley, public affairs specialist at the US Naval Observatory, which is responsible for precise timekeeping.
A lone leaf is the sole survivor of dozens of trees.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Most people think the earliest sunset occurs on the winter solstice on Dec. 21. But on that day, it’s due to be 4:15 p.m., three minutes later than it is now.
“That’s a common misconception,” says Rupley. “It varies because there’s so many factors that go, in terms of location and also the Earth’s rotation.”
It gets complicated, she says, “depending where you are on Earth.”
“In Boston, you’ll see a shift from 4:12 p.m. on December 14th to 4:13 p.m. on the 15th for sunset. A few more days will pass, and then on the 18th it’ll shift later to 4:14 p.m. for sunset,“ she says.
And, by the time we’re set to ring in the New Year, there will really be something to celebrate.
“Between the 28th and the 31st, you’re seeing sunset happening later a minute each day!” she wrote in an email.
Late afternoon sunshine lit up the igloos at the Ballers winter rink in the Seaport.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Until then, the winter solstice still has bragging rights as the shortest day of the year.
On Dec. 21, the sunrise is later in the morning, shortening the length of daylight, she says.
The earliest sunset here is around Dec. 8 each year, and the latest sunrise occurs closer to Jan. 3. That’s because “civil time,” or the time it says on our clocks, and “sun time,” which is determined by the position of the sun, are not equal.
“We’re trading some of those morning seconds for the afternoon seconds, as a result of reconciling ‘sun time’ with ‘civil time,’” says Rupley.
On the winter solstice, the sunset is three minutes later than the earliest sunset. Why not celebrate? Rupley, who studied astronomy and physics at the University of Hawaii, agrees.
4:46 p.m. The neon lights of the Paramount are reflected in a restaurant window where a couple had a drink at the bar.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
“Three minutes isn’t a lot, but maybe it’s about the length of your favorite song! That’s one way you could celebrate the extra sunlight in the afternoon. Whether it’s light or dark, make every minute count,” she writes.
When asked, most Bostonians had no idea we’ve already turned the corner for later sunsets.
“I didn’t know that,” says Kirsten Liston, walking her dog in the Seaport.
“It’s depressing when you can see the sun slanting low at 2 in the afternoon. So that’s crazy.”
A doorman at a Washington Street building is alone with his thoughts shortly before 5 p.m. He is a former Lost Boy from Sudan.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
This is a psychological lift, she says. Hopefully, now she sees the light.
“We should be celebrating it. It makes me feel a lot better.“
Bryn Domolky, a Northeastern University student, calls the early December sunsets “a little sad and unmotivating. When it gets dark so early, I feel like all I want to do is curl up in a ball and go to bed.”
She is not against celebrating the slightly later sunsets.
It’s already dark at 4:36 p.m. and traffic is crawling past the Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
“I’ll take any excuse nowadays to celebrate. I think we can use a little bit of joy.”
People in northern climates are more prone to seasonal affective disorder, whose acronym is aptly referred to as SAD. “Yeah, it’s tough,” says Alex Atrrera, doing window trim work. He’ll take any extra time in the afternoon.
“My father goes to bed early. He suffers from depression. We try to keep him up, entertain him as much as possible. … Usually, in the day, he goes to a day program. But as soon as he gets home at 3:30, 4:00, he eats, he drinks his medicine, and he wants to go to bed.”
A stroll in the Seaport just past sunset.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Jamma Doherty works at the Institute of Contemporary Art. She doesn’t know anything about the earlier sunsets, but she likes to bask in the warmer sun.
“My strategy is to get a sun break in the middle of the day, if you can. I think it re-energizes you. I think it just keeps you positive.”
Cathy Pendleton, who has a Christmas business, thinks it’s good news. “Already? Because I always thought it was the 21st of December.”
Rain-swept commuters file into the T station.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Her friend, Steven King, a carpenter, says he hates going to work in the dark and returning home in the dark. “It’s depressing,” he says. King says he’s happy to get just a “smidgin” more light in the afternoon.
“We’ll get through,” he says
His advice?
“Be home by 4:12. That would be my tip,” he says, pausing to think.
“And drink more whiskey.”
Some Bostonians go to work in the darkness and come home in the darkness.Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffThe afterglow of the sunset reflected on a Summer Street business at 4:32.Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffA commuter tried to stay out of the rain at a South Station MBTA bus shelter that had been defaced.Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffNighttime in the Seaport District is currently before 5 p.m.Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffThe afterglow of a spectacular sunset as viewed from the Seaport.Stan Grossfeld/Globe StaffA bird, a lamppost, and a pedestrian shared a sliver of sunshine sinking fast in the Seaport.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Stan Grossfeld can be reached at [email protected].
