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Get ready to embrace the cold and darkness on the shortest day of the year, when we celebrate the winter solstice. The weather won’t get any warmer, and it will still be dark when you get out of bed, but at least the better days are approaching. One day after the solstice, the day will be one minute longer, and it will keep growing.
The winter solstice is almost here
This Thursday, on December 21st, we celebrate the winter solstice. This means we will experience the shortest day of the year, but the actual solstice will last for quite a short period of time. The sunrise will occur at 7:16 a.m. and, then, the sun will reach the spot right above the Tropic of Capricorn at 11:27 a.m.
This position is the southernmost the sun will reach throughout the entire year, marking the exact moment when the winter solstice will occur. In other words, the phenomenon will be quite short, lasting for about a minute. It will be a bit hard to spot but, if you manage to catch a glimpse of your shadow at that hour, you’ll see it will be the longest it has ever been this year.
Days will get longer
During the winter solstice, the sun will be quite low on the sky, appearing to set right in the place where it would rise. The sunset will occur at 4:30 p.m., making this day shorter than the summer solstice one by five hours and 50 minutes. Then, the day will keep growing by one minute until the spring equinox, when day and night are equal. Afterwards, it will continue until it reaches the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.
Although the weather will remain cold and harsh, at least you’ll get a little more daylight every day. This is great news, meaning that you should find it easier every day to get out of bed and start being productive.
Image Source: Geograph.ie
