See the year’s fastest sunsets and sunrises around equinoxes

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Year’s fastest sunsets and sunrises

The March equinox is coming up fast. It’ll come at 14:46 UTC (9:46 a.m. CDT) on March 20, 2026. And here’s a little-known equinox phenomenon: the sun sets faster around the time of an equinox. The fastest sunrises happen at or near the equinoxes, too. On the other hand, the slowest sunsets (and sunrises) happen around the solstices. It’s true whether you live in Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

By the way, when we say sunset here, we’re talking about the actual number of minutes it takes for the body of the sun to sink below the western horizon.

So why does it happen? Why does the body of the sun fall below the horizon so quickly at equinox time? It’s because, at every equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west. That means – on the day of an equinox – the setting sun hits the horizon at its steepest possible angle.

Year’s slowest sunsets and sunrises

Meanwhile, at a solstice, the sun is setting farthest north or farthest south of due west. And, the farther the sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting sun. So that means a longer duration for sunset at the solstices.

Also, the sunset duration varies by latitude. Farther north or south on the Earth’s globe, the duration of sunset lasts longer. So, closer to the equator, the duration is shorter. But let’s just consider one latitude, 40 degrees north, the latitude of Denver or Philadelphia in the United States; parts of Spain; and Beijing, China.

At that latitude, on the day of equinox, the sun sets in about 2 3/4 minutes.

On the other hand, the solstice sun sets in roughly 3 1/4 minutes at 40 degrees latitude.

Sunset and sunrise images from the EarthSky community

Bottom line: The fastest sunsets and sunrises of the year are happening now, around the time of the March equinox.

Read more: March equinox 2026: Here’s all you need to know

Read more: Are day and night equal on the equinox?

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