In Toronto City on summer, why sunset at 9pm almost always?

Question

I'm a newcomer here in Toronto & I wonder why sunset at 9pm almost always because in the Philippines sunset before 6pm always.

Answer 1

Most of North America (except Alaska) is the same way.  In Winter, the sun can set as early as 5pm.

-MM

Answer 2

It depends on the timezone, and also how far you are from the equator.

In summer, the further from the equator you are, the longer the days.  By contrast, in winter, the longer the nights.  

Toronto is quite a long way north of the equator, so this effect will be quite pronounced.

Answer 3

The timing of sunset varies with the time of year and the latitude of the location from which it is viewed. The timing can also vary in local time, with the location's precise longitude. Changes in timing of sunset are generally driven by the axial tilt of Earth and the planet's movement around its orbit, but some differences exist. Even on the equator, sunrise and sunset shift several minutes back and forth through the year

Answer 4

The Earth has a certain tilt relative to the Sun.  The Earth's poles don't really move, but as the Earth goes around the Sun in a full circle, the North Pole might be facing towards the Sun (northern summer) or further away from it (northern winter) or sideways (spring or fall).

The Phillipines is close to the Equator, so the sunrise is always 6 a.m. or close to it, and sunset is 6 p.m.  But as you go north in latitude, you are going closer to the pole, and in the summer that pole is tilted towards the sun so more of the Earth is still in sunlight past 6 p.m.  So during the Summer Solstice, June 22 or so, Toronto (latitude about 42-1/2 degrees) may only have sunset at 9:30 p.m. or so.  Some places further north have the Sun set much later, and for all points north of the Arctic Circle (66-1/2 degrees latitude) the Sun never sets AT ALL on that date.  At the pole itself, you will have six months of sun followed by six months of night in the winter time.

What is more, we practice Daylight Savings Time here, where clocks are advanced one hour so there is even more daylight in the evening.  The United States has now legislated a total of 7 months of Daylight Savings Time per year (it used to be 6 months centered on the summer), and Canada has followed suit.