On 1/25/12 6:14 AM, Science Fan wrote:

What's the name of the phenomenon that causes the sun to continue to
rise later, even though the winter solstice has passed? TIA.

The earth's orbit is elliptical, as a result sunrise, solar noon and
sunset get ahead and behind. The eccentricity of the earth orbit and
the obliquity of the ecliptic are the largest factors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equation_of_time