Photo: Denys Nevozhai / Unsplash
The winter solstice will happen this week and will mark the beginning of the coldest time of year. Thereafter, the days will be shorter, in contrast, the nights will be longer in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, sunlight will illuminate that side of the Earth for longer, so the darkness of the night will be shorter.
This astronomical event, also known as the December solstice, occurs every year between 21 and 22 December and is when the Sun travels its shortest path through the sky and is at its southernmost point, according to NASA.
When exactly is the December solstice on 2021?
On this 2021, the solstice of winter will occur next Tuesday 21 December o’clock 10: 59 am, Eastern time, and at 09: 58 am Central Mexico time . From that moment a change of season is celebrated and winter will officially begin.
What is a solstice?
It is an astronomical event caused by the inclination of the Earth and its orbit through the Sun. Astronomers have explained that our planet is not located in a vertical position, it is inclined on its axis at 23 and a half degrees, according to Eartsky.org review.
As the year progresses, this tilt causes the northern and southern hemispheres to “swap” places to receive sunlight more directly. This is the reason why the summer and winter solstices happen .
What happens on the December solstice?
During the December solstice the Earth is positioned in such a way that the Sun stays below the horizon of the North Pole, that is, the furthest south of the Earth’s equator. For this reason, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year , but for those who are in the Southern Hemisphere it is the longest day.
From that moment, for all the countries located in the North of the Ecuador the days will be shorter and the nights longer.
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