First Day of Winter and The Shortest Day of The Year

Winter Solstice The Shortest day of The Year

The winter solstice not only marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere but is also knowns as the shortest day of 2017. But What does this really mean?

The Winter solstice, also known as midwinter, occurs on the day with the shortest daylight and the longest night of the year. This means the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. Many people believe that the temperature changes because the Earth is closer to the sun in the summer and farther from the sun in the winter time. In fact, the sun is the farthest from the sun in July and closest to the sun in January. It’s all about the tilt of the Earth’s axis. During the winter, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle. These rays are more spread out, which minimizes the amount of energy that hits any given spot. The long nights and shot days prevent the Earth from warming up the way it does in the summer. The daylight for December 21, 2017, will last for only seven hours and forty-nine minutes.

The Earth is tilted on its axial at 23.5 degrees and rotates around the sun. while the earth is rotating around the sun the polar hemisphere that is facing away from the sun experience winter and the hemisphere facing the sun experiences summer conditions, causing both hemispheres to have opposite seasons. Between the months of September and March, the Northern Hemisphere gets less sun exposure during the day, while the rest of the year the north gets more sun exposure. This occurs twice a year, one in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21 and once in the southern hemisphere on June 21.

Humans have been celebrating and observing the winter solstice as early as the Neolithic Period dating back to 10,000 BC. Celebrating light and the rebirth of the sun after the winter months. This was considered a guide for agricultural activities that were to come in the future months; the mating of animals and the sowing of crops for the future year ahead.

Some of the most iconic astrological sights around the world are based on the winter solstice, Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland are a couple examples.

Are you excited about our upcoming longer days? Let us know in the comments below!