What was claimed
On the 4 January, it’s only 39 days until the sun starts setting at 7pm in the UK, so on 12 February.
Our verdict
This isn’t true. Sunset won’t happen by 7pm until the end of March, or at least 83 days after 4 January.
Sun doesn’t set at 7pm by mid-February in the UK
8 January 2024
A Facebook post shared more than 1,100 times falsely claims that by 12 February the sun will set at 7pm.
The claim, shared by a UK-based account on 4 January, which was also shared on the same day by a different UK-based account on X (formerly Twitter), says: “I don’t know who needs to hear this but in 39 days the sun will set at 7pm”.
Counting 39 days from 4 January takes the calendar to Monday, 12 February.
But nowhere in the UK will the sun set at 7pm by this date.
In London, the sun will set at 5.09pm on 12 February, while in Belleek, Northern Ireland, one of the furthest west parts of the UK it will be at 5.33pm.
The sun will first set after 7pm in Belleek on 27 March.
But many people in the UK won’t experience a 7pm sunset until clocks go forward an hour when Daylight Saving Time comes in at 1am on Sunday 31 March. This marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST) which lasts until October.
Consequently from 4 January, a 7pm sunset in the UK is at least 83 days away.
The same claim also emerged in January last year, and we found that it was also untrue then.
Photo courtesy of Dorothy Finley