Sunset after 9pm: Why the sun and clock don't align perfectly around the solstice
The summer solstice is on June 21, but across the U.S., that date does not match when the earliest sunrises and latest sunsets of the year take place.
Crowds gathered at the ancient monument of Stonehenge in England to celebrate the summer solstice on June 20.
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, but the start of the season does not quite align with the dates for the earliest sunrise or the latest sunset.
Astronomical summer arrives at 4:24 a.m. EDT on June 21, 2026, the precise moment of the solstice. On that day, the Northern Hemisphere receives more daylight than on any other day of the year.
Compared to the winter solstice, June days are significantly longer. The difference is most noticeable farther north, where early summer days can last more than seven hours longer than they do around the start of winter.
Why don't the earliest sunrises and latest sunsets happen on the solstice?
The reason is related to the Earth's tilt and the way it moves around the sun. The small but important variables create the mismatch between the clock and the sun's actual position in the sky.
As a result, the earliest sunrises and the latest sunsets of the year don't align with the solstice, with the date of each varying from city to city based on their latitude and where they are located within their time zone.
When is the latest sunset where you live?
Across most of the contiguous United States, the latest sunset of the year happens after the solstice, usually in late June or early July.
Seattle, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City are among the places where the sunset does not happen until after 9 p.m., with the latest sunsets happening in these cities between June 25-27. Farther south, the sun dips below the horizon slightly earlier in the day, including 8:26 p.m. in Houston on June 30, and 8:16 p.m. in Miami on July 2.
When are the earliest sunrises?
The earliest sunrises of the year occur in the days leading up to the solstice, and in many cities, it has already happened.
Boston is among the major U.S. cities with the earliest summer sunrises, with dawn on June 14 happening at 5:06 a.m. Portland, Oregon, also experiences early sunrises, with the sun climbing above the horizon at 5:21 a.m. on June 15. Sunrises are now starting to slip a bit later in the morning.
A dog runs along the coast at sunrise on Oct. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Cities farther south tend to get slightly later summer sunrises by the clock, including 5:40 a.m. in San Diego on June 11, and 5:58 a.m. in New Orleans on June 10.
Daylight Saving Time vs. Standard Time
When clocks jumped forward in March, that one-hour shift pushed both sunrise and sunset later across most of the country. By June, the effect is significant.
Without daylight saving time, the sun would rise as early as 4:06 a.m. in Boston and 4:14 a.m. in Chicago. Meanwhile, summer sunsets in places like New York City, Denver and St. Louis would arrive much earlier, closer to 7:30 p.m.
The sun sets behind the so-called pudding clock on the beach promenade of the island of Wangerooge on June 18, 2023.(Photo by Peter Kuchenbuch-Hanken/picture alliance via Getty Images)
June is a reminder of how daylight saving time does not create more daylight but rather shifts when we experience sunshine in a way that is hard to miss.
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