Winter solstice 2021: Here’s all about the year’s shortest day

During the December solstice, the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, which will happen exactly at 9:59 pm on Tuesday night.

Hyderabad: The winter solstice, which is on December 21 every year, marks the longest nights and shortest days of the year for those living in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. As the astronomical winter begins, the days will gradually get longer again from this time of the year. During the December solstice, the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, which will happen exactly at 9:59 pm on Tuesday night.

Through the year, the planet’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly, due to Earth’s 23 1/2 degrees tilted axis. Interestingly, It’s this tilt, not our distance from the sun – that causes winter and summer. Contrary to common belief, the planet is closest to – not farthest from – the sun at the turn of every new year.

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During the winter solstice Earth is positioned so the sun stays below the North Pole’s horizon. The Arctic Circle is cloaked in darkness and experiences its longest night of the year. The low position of the sun during a winter solstice will cause your midday shadow to be exceptionally long.

On the other hand, in the Southern Hemisphere, the day of the December solstice is the longest day of the year in Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The day will also mark the start of summer in these nations.

Etymology: During the days around the winter solstice, the sun is so low on the horizon that it appears to rise and set in the same place. That’s why the word solstice can be translated to “sun stands still’ in Latin.

Meteorological and Astronomical winter: Meteorological seasons follow the annual temperature cycle, and the astronomical seasons follow the position of Earth in relation to the sun. Established in the 1900s, the meteorological calendar marks the months December, January and February as winter months. On the other hand, astronomical seasons were established thousands of years ago and follow the Earth’s rotation around the sun and define the four seasons with two solstices and two equinoxes. The winter solstice marks the beginning of the astronomical winter, which runs from the winter solstice, on December 21 to the following year’s spring equinox, on March 20.

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