BOISE, IDAHO (CBS2) — You may have noticed the sun is setting earlier in the afternoons and the morning sunrise is happening a little later than normal. So what causes our days to get shorter or longer?

Summer Solstice occurred on June 21st this year. That was was the longest day of the year, since then our days have started getting shorter causing a delayed sunrise and an earlier sunset.

Similarly Winter Solstice appears in December, marking the 24 hour period with the fewest daylight hours.

During Summer Solstice the earth is tilted as close to the sun as it will be all year. Resulting in the longest day with the most daylight. As the last few months of summer arrive, less and less daylight will start to become more noticeable. On average, we're losing about 2 minutes and 40 seconds of daylight during the month of August with that expected to climb to 2 minutes and 52 seconds during the month of September.

Take precaution when doing afternoon outdoor activities and remember that our sunsets will take place earlier as we near the end of summer.

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