Even though it has been getting colder for weeks, winter doesn’t start until Saturday.
Here are some facts regarding the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, and the astronomical beginning of the snowy season.
What is the winter solstice?
Astronomical winter officially begins on the winter solstice. The start of the meteorological winter, which is determined by our 12-month calendar, is not the same as this.
Let’s take a moment to revisit middle school science class in order to provide a more thorough response to this topic. The two main ways that the Earth rotates are by moving in a large circle around the sun and by spinning around an axis that resembles a top to produce day and night. The Northern and Southern hemispheres receive varying quantities of sunlight at different times of the year due to the minor tilt of that axis.
Although we often consider the winter solstice to be a daylong occurrence, the term actually describes a specific moment when one half of the Earth—either the top or the bottom—is tilted the farthest away from the sun, giving that half of the hemisphere the fewest hours of sunlight throughout the year.
Despite being the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice also heralds an increase in daily sunlight for the following six months.
In a similar vein, the summer solstice is the day when the tilt of the Earth is closest to the sun. It is the astronomical start of summer and the longest day of the year.
When is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere takes place on December 21 or 22 each year. It falls on December 21st this year.
Six months later, on or around June 21, is the summer solstice.
However, those days are reversed for those who reside below the equator. They have a summer solstice in December and a winter solstice in June.
What s an equinox?
Two equinoxes occur each year: one in the spring and one in the fall.
The sun is directly above the Earth’s equator on the equinoxes, therefore the two days have an equal quantity of sunlight and darkness.
The astrological end of winter is the vernal equinox, which occurs in March in the Northern Hemisphere. The astrological end of summer is marked by the autumnal equinox in September.
When are the next astrological season changes?
The astronomical season changes that will occur after Saturday’s winter solstice are listed below:
The spring vernal equinox is Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 5:01 per.m.
Summer Solstice: June 20, 2025, Friday, 10:42 p.m.
Fall Equinox: Monday, September 22, 2025, at 2:19 p.m.
Can you see the winter solstice?
In a way. Rising in the east and sinking in the west, the sun follows a course across the sky every day. Although it still follows the same broad arc, the sun’s path sinks lower in the sky as the winter solstice draws near and the number of hours of sunlight in a day diminishes.
The sun is at its lowest point in the sky by the time the winter solstice approaches.
This means that as the winter solstice draws near, the shadow you cast gets longer and longer. Therefore, if you step outside at noon on the winter solstice, your shadow will be the longest it will be all year, even though solstices aren’t nearly as noticeable as eclipses.
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