Winter Solstice has arrived on Earth
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The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter, falls on Thursday, December 21 this year.
It is a day when science mixes with ancient traditions around the world. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun appears at its southernmost position, directly overhead in the Tropic of Capricorn.
The opposite situation is observed in the Southern Hemisphere, where only about 10% of the world’s population lives.
There, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year – and the start of summer – in places like Argentina, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa.
When exactly does the winter solstice occur?
The solstice usually—but not always—occurs on December 21st. The date of the solstice may move forward or back by a day because the solar year (the time it takes for the sun to reappear in the same location as seen from Earth) does not exactly line up with our calendar year.
If you want to be super precise in your observations, the exact time of the 2023 winter solstice around the world will be Thursday at 3:27 UTC, according to Earthsky.org.
Due to time differences, Europe, Africa and Asia will technically celebrate the winter solstice on Friday, December 22.
Ancient peoples, whose survival depended on an accurate knowledge of seasonal cycles, celebrated this first day of winter with elaborate ceremonies and festivals. Spiritually, these holidays symbolize the possibility of renewal, writes CNN.
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