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The December Solstice in the Calendar. 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.
In 2024, the December solstice falls at 9:21 UTC on December 21 (3:21 a.m. CST on December 21). Note: For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice will mark the longest nights and ...
- The magic moment. While many focus on the winter solstice as a day in the calendar, what we are actually talking about is a very specific moment which is over almost as soon as it has begun.
- The Sun stands still. Like many other astronomical terms, the word solstice comes from Latin. Owing to the Sun appearing to 'standstill' in the sky when it reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, the word solstitium was used which in turn is composed of the words sol (meaning 'sun') and sistere (meaning to 'standstill').
- Winter begins. As well as marking the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar, whilst in the meteorological calendar, we are already three weeks into winter.
- Nine hours darker. You're probably aware that the day of the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, but did you know that its almost nine hours shorter than the longest day of the year?
The winter solstice occurs in December, and in the Northern Hemisphere the date marks the 24-hour period with the fewest daylight hours of the year. That is why it is known as the shortest day of the year, or the longest night of the year. Learn more about time and astronomy at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
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). Although the winter solstice itself lasts only a moment, the term also refers to the day on ...
Dec 20, 2022 · In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice happens on June 20 or June 21. The date varies because the Gregorian calendar has 365 days, with an extra leap day added in February every four ...
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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 sky ...
