More interesting facts on the Winter Solstice
Astronomers and scientists use this date to mark the beginning of the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, however, meteorologists believe we're nearly three weeks into the cold season.
Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, meaning sun, and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still.
If you missed this: Everything you need to know about the Winter Solstice
Depending on who you ask, astronomers and scientists use the date of the June Solstice to mark the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere and summer in the Northern Hemisphere. For meteorologists, on the other hand, winter began almost three weeks ago, on June 1.
Sunrise and sunset timings in your city
In the Southern Hemisphere, where this day marks the Winter Solstice, did you know the earliest sunset actually happens a few days before the solstice, and the latest sunrise occurs a few days after it.
This happens because of the imbalance between time measured using clocks and time measured by a sundial.
Days of all darkness or all light
The June Solstice is the only day of the year when all locations inside the Arctic Circle experience a continuous period of daylight for 24 hours. Due to atmospheric refraction, however, the Midnight Sun is visible for a few days before and on the June Solstice from areas as far as 97 kilometers South of the Arctic Circle. As one moves further North of the Arctic Circle, the number of days with the Midnight Sun increase.
What causes the Midnight Sun?
On the Antarctic Circle, there are 24 hours of complete nighttime on the June Solstice. Just as with the Northern Hemisphere, any location south of the Antarctic Circle has Polar Night several days before the June Solstice.
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