As summer transitions to fall, darkness arrives earlier each day in New York.
That’s due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis as it orbits around the sun, according to sciencing.com, a website that addresses questions about science, engineering and mathematics.
During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, so the sun’s rays hit the northern part of the Earth directly, which gives us longer daylight hours, according to the website.
But as the Earth continues its orbit, the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt away from the sun, and it appears lower in the sky and its rays start to spread over a larger area. This causes shorter days and longer nights, the website stated.
On Nov. 2, 2025, Daylight Saving Time officially ends, and we “fall back” into Standard Time. Sunrise will be about an hour earlier on Nov. 2, and there will be a bit more light early in the morning. But darkness will fall sooner that evening.
That change will take place a bit earlier than it has in recent years.
That’s because Daylight Saving Time always ends on the first Sunday in November, which is Nov. 2 this year. The earliest possible end to Daylight Saving Time will occur in 2026, when that first Sunday falls on Nov. 1.
As our days get shorter, we will continue to gradually approach the year’s shortest day — Sunday, Dec. 21, known as the winter solstice.
At that point, days begin to gradually get lighter until we jump back into Daylight Saving Time on March 8, 2026.