The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs today, Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 4:48 P.M. EST.
The solstice (combining the Latin words sol for “sun” and sistere for “to stand still”) is the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year and thus ancient astronomers came to know the day as one where the Sun appeared to stand still.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs annually on December 21 or 22. (For the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on June 20 or 21.) The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year, making it the “shortest day” of the year. Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to once again grow longer and longer until we reach the summer solstice - the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.
Think of it this way: Although the winter solstice means the start of winter, it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here!
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Caught the end of the beautiful Winter Solstice sunset "Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt |
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| The days will get longer starting tomorrow! |
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