It may only be Aug. 8, but the city of Chicago is hitting a milestone that represents another step toward the colder days of winter to come.
According to officials, the sun will set in Chicago at approximately 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and while that doesn’t feel noteworthy on its own, it’s actually a key time marker for the year.
It is, in fact, the last time the sun will set after 8 p.m. for the rest of the year, and it is the final post-8 p.m. sunset that the city of Chicago will see until May 11 of next year.
That is, of course, just the beginning. By the end of August, the sun will be setting before 7:30 p.m. each night, and the city of Chicago will be down to just over 13 hours of daily sunlight.
On Sept. 16, Chicago will see its first sunset before 7 p.m. of the season, and by Sept. 23, the city will be receiving less than 12 hours of daily sunlight, just after the autumnal equinox.
By the time Dec. 21 rolls around, Chicago will be receiving just over nine hours of daily sunlight, and the sun will set on 4:21 p.m. The earliest sunset of the year will take place around Dec. 7, when the sun will dip below the horizon at 4:19 p.m.
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