The Solar Anomaly: Unraveling the Mystery of Mumbai’s Extended Daylight at 6:47 PM

Mumbai’s “Late” Sunsets: More Than Meets the Eye

Ever noticed how the sun seems to hang around a bit longer in Mumbai compared to other Indian cities? It’s not just your imagination playing tricks on you; there’s actually a real reason why Mumbai evenings feel a little brighter. Let’s dive into why that 6:47 PM sunset feels so…normal here.

Where You Are Matters: Latitude and Longitude

First off, Mumbai’s location on the map is key. Being around 19°N latitude means we don’t see those crazy long summer days or super short winter ones like you might up north. Our daylight hours stay pretty consistent year-round.

But the real secret sauce? It’s all about longitude. Mumbai sits at roughly 72.9° E, while Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on the 82.5° E meridian. That difference of almost 10 degrees might not sound like much, but it translates to about 40 minutes of solar time. Think of it this way: Mumbai’s naturally running a little “behind” the official clock.

Time Zone Quirks

India keeps things simple with a single time zone – IST – for the whole country. Can you imagine the chaos if every city had its own time? But here’s the thing: ideally, we’d all be on “solar time,” which is based on the sun’s actual position. Since Mumbai’s west of that 82.5° E line, our solar time is about 40 minutes behind IST. So, when your watch says 7:00 PM in Mumbai, the sun’s actually acting like it’s only 6:20 PM. Sneaky, right? That’s why sunsets feel later here.

Sunset time in July 2025

Speaking of sunsets, in July 2025, expect the sun to dip below the horizon around 7:18-7:20 PM in Mumbai. That’s pretty late! And it’s all thanks to that longitude thing we talked about, plus the time of year. The longest day? That’s around the summer solstice in June. And even in July, we’re still basking in about 13 hours and 10 minutes of daylight. Not bad at all!

Little Things That Add Up

Okay, so longitude and time zones are the big players here. But there are other little things that can affect when the sun seems to set. A clear, cloudless sky? The sunset looks way different than on a gloomy monsoon day. And being on the west coast? That definitely gives us a bit of extra sunshine to enjoy after work compared to cities further east.

The Bottom Line

So, is Mumbai’s “late” sunset some kind of weird mystery? Nope! It’s just a cool side effect of where we are on the planet and how we keep time. Next time you’re enjoying that extended twilight, remember it’s not magic, it’s just Mumbai being Mumbai – a city running on its own slightly sun-delayed schedule.