The earliest sunset of the year occurs Monday evening. For Baltimoreans, the sun will drop below the western horizon at 4:43 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It may seem like the shortest day of the year, because we tend to notice sunsets more than sunrises. But the latest sunrise won't occur here until Jan. 4, at 7:27 a.m. EST. So on balance, the date with the fewest minutes of daylight is Dec. 21, the winter solstice.