Should Pennsylvania Keep Daylight Saving Time Year-Round? The Science Behind the Debate

aired; November 6, 2026 The debate over Daylight Saving Time is heating up in Congress and in Pennsylvania, where lawmakers have proposed competing bills to either keep Daylight Saving Time year-round or return to standard time permanently. Supporters of year-round standard time point to research on sleep and health, while others worry about how darker mornings or evenings could affect everyday routines, including agriculture and youth sports. On The Spark, we’ll talk with Dr. Christopher Palma, Director of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State University, about the science behind time zones, daylight and the sun’s position. We’ll look at what the different proposals would mean for Pennsylvania and why the question of changing our clocks is more complicated than it might seem.