Have you ever looked at a rise and set time chart of the sun and noticed that in the summer in the northern hemisphere the earliest sunrise and latest sunset do not occur on the longest day of the year? Or that in the winter the latest sunrise and earliest sunset do not occur on the shortest day of the year?  This phenomenon is directly related to the shape of the analemma.

Analemma at equator in November

The effect of the analemma on sunrise and sunset time if you are standing at 42° North Latitude.

Move the slider by hand to see the 

significant events.

The video takes a small portion of the analemma curve around the time of the summer (June 21st) and winter (December 21st) solstices.

The differences between the times of the solstices and rise and set times becomes more exaggerated the closer we are to the equator. In reverse, at either pole, the analemma has no effect on sunrise and sunset times.