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Learn about the December solstice, the astronomical event that marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. Find out the date, time, and duration of the solstice, as well as its cultural and historical significance.
- Sun Reaches Most Southerly Point
- Shortest Day in The North
- Longest Day in The South
- What Does “Solstice” Mean?
- Why Does The Sun Move North and South?
- The Solstices and The Seasons
- Sunrise and Sunset Times Lag Behind
- The December Solstice in The Calendar
- Why Does The Date Vary?
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The December solstice is the moment the Sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the southernmost latitudeit reaches during the year. After the solstice, it begins moving north again. 10 facts about the December solstice
Since the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in December, it receives less sunlight during the course of a day. At the solstice, the North Pole's tilt away from the Sun is greatest, so this event marks the shortest day of the year north of the equator. This effect is greatest in locations that are farther away from the equator. In trop...
Conversely, the day of the December solstice is the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, too, the effect is greater the farther a location is away from the equator. Places within the Antarctic Circle experience Midnight Sun, when the Sun does not set at night. Sun times at the South Pole in December
During the course of a year, the subsolar point—the spot on the Earth's surface directly beneath the Sun—slowly moves along a north-south axis. Having reached its northernmost point at the June solstice, it starts moving southward until it crosses the equator on the day of the September equinox. At the December solstice, which marks the southernmos...
The subsolar point moves north and south during the year because the Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of about 23.4° in relation to the ecliptic, an imaginary plane created by Earth’s path around the Sun. In June, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, and the subsolar point is north of the equator. As the Earth travels toward the oppo...
The December solstice marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, according to one definition. Equinox and solstice dates—years 1-2149
The shortest day of the year is commonly associated with the latest sunrise and earliest sunset of the year. However, in most locations, the earliest sunset happens a few days before the solstice, while the latest sunrise occurs some days after it. Find out why
The December solstice can be on December 20, 21, 22, or 23. December 21 or 22 solstices happen more often than December 20 and 23 solstices. The last December 23 solstice was in 1903 and the next one is in 2303. A December 20 solstice is also rare, with the next one in the year 2080. Note: All dates refer to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Local ...
The date of the equinoxes and solstices varies because a year in our calendar does not exactly match the length of the tropical year—the time it takes the Earth to complete an orbit around the Sun. Today's Gregorian calendar has 365 days in a common year and 366 days in a leap year. However, our planet takes about 365.242199 days to orbit the Sun. ...
Learn about the December solstice, when the Sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere and the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun. Find out the date, time, and facts of this astronomical event and how it affects the seasons and the calendar.
Learn about the astronomical event of the December solstice, when the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky for the year. Find out when and how it happens, and how it affects the seasons and daylight hours in different parts of the world.
Jan 17, 2024 · The Winter Solstice, or the December Solstice, is the point at which the path of the sun in the sky is farthest south. At the Winter Solstice, the sun travels the shortest path through the...
Learn about the winter or summer solstice, the date, the Sun's position, the seasons, and the celebrations around the world. Find out why the December solstice is not the earliest sunset or the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
winter solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sunin the sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22) and farthest north in the Southern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21).
Winter Solstice 2024
- Saturday, 21 December (in 66 days)
- Saturday, 21 December
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The winter solstice occurs during the hemisphere's winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the December solstice (December 21, December 22, or December 23) and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice (June 20, June 21, or June 22).
