December solstice
Shortest northern day
The December solstice is the moment when the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, occurring around December 21st.
In the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it's the summer solstice—the longest day.
The term avoids hemispheric bias, unlike "winter solstice."
- SaturnaliaRome's December harvest celebration
- shortest dayYear's minimum daylight
- longest nightMaximum darkness period yearly
- midwinterSeason's coldest period
- KwanzaaAfrican-American cultural holiday
polar night · axial tilt · Northern Hemisphere · Southern Hemisphere · Christmas Day · ecliptic · seasonal change · insolation · obliquity · polar regions · celestial equator · Hanukkah · festival of lights · earth's rotation · solar radiation · Tropic of Capricorn · zenith · winter sun
- Winter HolidaysChristmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day
- Inca AstronomyPleiades, Southern Cross, sun worship, lunar cycles, moon phases
December solsticeJune solstice
Year's longest day
summer solstice · midsummer · longest day · winter solstice · vernal equinox