The sun has literally set on the British Empire

“The sun never sets on the British empire.” Variations on the phrase have been used for more than  200 years to describe the scope and power of the nation and its occupied territories. But from a logistical standpoint, Britain gave up the centuries-long imperial distinction last October, when it reached an agreement to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. It was a long time coming for the Chagossians, many of whom have worked for decades to regain control of the island. A joint statement issued between both countries in October vowed the deal helped to “address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.”

Technically speaking, however, sunlight continued to shine on at least one portion of British-occupied land for about another six months. The primary holdout? A section of the British Antarctic Territory, including the Pitcairn Islands that experiences perpetual sunlight six months out of the year.

But thanks to cosmic geometry, a major chapter in world history has just now come to a close. As first highlighted last year on Reddit, the spring equinox on March 20 marked the sun’s passage over the celestial equator, kicking off half a year of darkness around the South Pole. And given last year’s deal with Mauritius, this means Thursday night at 10:50 PM EST (2:50 AM on March 21 in London), the sun finally, literally set on the British empire.

It didn’t stay dark for Britain too long, however. About an hour after dusky conditions on the Pitcairn Islands, light began to peek over the horizon roughly 10,000 miles away in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two non-contiguous British territories located on the island of Cyprus. Meanwhile, Britain is still maintaining a presence at a military base on the Chagos Archipelago’s Diego Garcia island as part of the 2024 agreement.

Britain isn’t the first or last culture with enough global territory to qualify for the “sun never sets” moniker. Similar, solar-based expansionist sentiments date as far back as the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Persian, and Roman empires. The phrase “the empire on which the sun never sets” was first used in reference to the Spanish empire under the 16th century Hapsburg reign of King Charles I, also known as Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. Beginning in the 20th century, similar titles were frequently used to describe the United States. If nothing else, empires may rise and fall, but the sun will outlast them all—at least for about another 5 billion years.

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