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- In English, the world solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning "sun standing still". It seems to suggest a brief pause as the sun reaches its most extreme point (as experienced on Earth) before the direction of travel is reversed. The significance of this moment is reflected in monuments and rituals around the world.
www.bbc.com/news/world-42440796'Sun standing still': Why do we celebrate the solstice? - BBC
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Dec 21, 2017 · But the solstice doesn't come on the same day each year - it can range from 20-23 December and 20-22 June - because of the discrepancy between our calendar of 365 days a year...
- What is The Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. While...
- What is The Winter Solstice
Dec 21, 2017 · The significance of this moment is reflected in monuments and rituals around the world. The very orientation of the prehistoric Stonehenge standing stones in the UK is along a solstice axis, with...
A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20-22 June and 20-22 December. In many countries, the seasons of the year are defined by reference to the solstices and the equinoxes.
At the summer solstice, the Sun reaches its highest point of the year, while at the winter solstice, the noon Sun is the lowest it will be all year. During the summer solstice, the Northern...
- 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?
Jun 20, 2024 · The solstice occurs every year between the 20 and 22 June. The length of day varies depending on your location, but on average here in the UK there is between 16 and 17 hours of daylight.
Find out how the position of the Sun determines the longest and shortest days of the year in this special Royal Observatory Greenwich Illuminates extract.
