Days are getting shorter: Here's when the last 7 p.m. sunset will be

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- For some, the end of summer is marked by students returning to the classrooms, but for others, it's the gradual loss of daylight as we move toward the autumnal equinox.

This year, the longest day in San Diego was June 20 on the day of the summer solstice, with 14 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds of daylight. This is when the sun reached its highest and northernmost point in the sky.

The winter solstice is the opposite. The shortest day this year will be on Saturday, Dec. 21., which will give San Diegans and other people in the Northern Hemisphere about nine hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds of daylight.

You can find sunrise and sunset times in other cities using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's solar calculator.

In San Diego, the last chance to see a sunset just before 7 p.m. will be on Sept. 10. After that, people working during regular daytime hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. will slowly start noticing darker commutes to and from work.

So, although the days seem shorter, you still have a few weeks to take those 'golden hour' photos or simply watch as lovely shades of orange and yellow descend over the Pacific Ocean after getting off work.