In the months leading up to the December solstice, the position of sunrise and sunset creeps southward. Initially, the naming arose from observations of how the Sun’s apparent path across the sky changes slightly from one day to the next, which is caused by the same process as the subsolar point's movement described above. This is how the solstices got their name: the term comes from the Latin words sol and sistere, meaning “Sun” and “to stand still”. At the December solstice, which marks the southernmost point of its journey, it stops again to start its journey back toward the north. Having reached its northernmost point at the June solstice, it starts moving southward until it crosses the equator on the day of the September equinox. Sun times at the South Pole in December What Does “Solstice” Mean?ĭuring the course of a year, the subsolar point-the spot on the Earth's surface directly beneath the Sun-slowly moves along a north-south axis.

Places within the Antarctic Circle experience Midnight Sun, when the Sun does not set at night.

Here, too, the effect is greater the farther a location is away from the equator. Longest Day in the SouthĬonversely, the day of the December solstice is the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. In tropical areas, the shortest day is just a little shorter than 12 hours in the temperate zone, it is significantly shorter and places within the Arctic Circle experience polar night, when the Sun does not rise at all.

This effect is greatest in locations that are farther away from the equator. At the solstice, the North Pole's tilt away from the Sun is greatest, so this event marks the shortest day of the year north of the equator. Since the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in December, it receives less sunlight during the course of a day.

Local times for this solstice worldwide.

Sun rise/set and day length around this solstice.

Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).

What is the shortest day of the year