The days of mid-afternoon sunsets are almost upon us as winter draws nearer. A few days after Halloween, most of the US will be moving the clocks backward one hour. Daylight saving time ends on Nov. 2 ...

In early January the sun does not rise in Kashgar, in China’s far west, until after 10am. Across the border, in eastern Afghanistan, it rises before 7am. That difference is the greatest jump in time ...