why does it get darker earlier in the winter

It gets darker earlier in the winter because the Earth is tilted, so your part of the planet is leaning away from the Sun and gets fewer hours of daylight. The Sun also stays lower in the sky and takes a shorter, “shallow” path, so it both rises later and sets earlier.

Earth’s tilt: the core reason

• Earth’s axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees, so different parts of the planet lean toward or away from the Sun during the year.

• In winter (for your hemisphere), your region is tilted away from the Sun, so the Sun spends less time above your horizon each day.

Shorter daylight path

• In summer, the Sun takes a high, long arc across the sky, so it’s up for many hours.

• In winter, the Sun’s path is lower and shorter, so it appears later in the morning and sets earlier in the afternoon.

Sun angle and “quicker” darkness

• In winter the Sun’s rays hit at a shallower angle, spreading the same light over a larger area, which makes days feel dimmer and colder.

• The lower angle also means twilight is shorter at many latitudes, so once the Sun reaches the horizon it seems to drop and get dark very quickly.

Role of seasons and location

• The same tilt that causes early winter darkness also creates the seasons: more direct sunlight and longer days in summer, less in winter.

• The farther you live from the equator, the more extreme the change; at high latitudes winter days can be very short or even have polar night.

Clock changes and perception

• Where daylight saving time is used, moving clocks back in autumn makes sunset appear even earlier on the clock, reinforcing the feeling of “sudden” early darkness.

• Psychologically, people expect long summer evenings, so the early winter sunset feels more abrupt and depressing, often linked with “winter blues” or seasonal mood changes.

TL;DR: Because of Earth’s axial tilt, the Sun takes a shorter, lower path across your sky in winter, giving you fewer hours of weaker daylight and an earlier, faster-feeling sunset.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.