Sunset was quite early today. Today is the Winter Solstice,
traditionally the day that marks the shortest day of the year.
Sure this means we don't get a lot of sunshine today, but on the
plus side the Solstice marks the time when the days begin to get
longer. However, though today is the Solstice, the actual
shortest day of 2012 will be tomorrow. According to
timeanddate.com the December solstice occurs when the sun
reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. It is
normally on Dec. 21, but the actual shortest day can be between
Dec. 20 and 23 depending on the year. According to
sunrisesunset.com, the shortest day of the year in this area
will be on Dec. 22. On that day the sun will rise at 7:12 a.m.
and set at 4:15 p.m. After that date, the days will begin to get
longer. Dec. 23, for example, will see the sun setting at 4:16
p.m. The sun will set at 4:21 on New Year's Eve. Of course the
real change in the time of the sunset will come with the start
of Daylight Saving 2013 when we "spring ahead"