Everything you need to know about Winter Solstice
Today we will experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Today, Wednesday 21 June marks the day of the winter solstice, when we experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Sunrise was at 6:51am and sunset will be at 5:04pm. The day will be exactly 10 hours 13 minutes 26 seconds long. Yesterday, Tuesday, 20 June was 10 hours 13 minutes 27 seconds long and tomorrow, Thursday, 22 June will be 10 hours 13 minutes 28 seconds.
2017 Winter Solstice – June Solstice
The solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice, once in summer and once in winter, each year when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole.
Solstices occur on 20 or 21 June and 21 or 22 December each year. During summer, the day of the solstice is the longest day of the year and during winter the day of the solstice is the shortest day of the year.
During June it is Summer Solstice in the Northern hemisphere and Winter Solstice in the Southern hemisphere. Similarly during December it is Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere and Summer Solstice in the Southern hemisphere.
To avoid any confusion solstices are preferably referred as June Solstice and December Solstice. Winter Solstice is also known as ‘Hibernal Solstice’.
I hope this cleared up any confusion about this day of the year. Stay tuned for more articles on this interesting astronomical event!
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