Everything you need to know about Winter Solstice: Shortest day of the year – Daily RecordThe winter solstice is the point of the year when the Sun reaches its most southerly point, creating the shortest day and longest night
The winter solstice is the moment the Sun reaches its most southerly point, creating the year’s shortest day and longest night(Image: Getty Images)Here is everything you need to know about the shortest day of the yearThe winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year. It happens when the Sun sits directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, giving the northern hemisphere its longest night.In 2025, the solstice will take place at 15:03 on December 21. The solstice is not a full day but a specific moment when the Sun reaches its most southerly point.The word “solstice” comes from Latin and means “sun standing still.” This is because the Sun appears to pause in the sky before changing direction and moving north again.The date of the solstice changes slightly each year. This is due to Earth taking 365.24 days to orbit the Sun, along with small orbital variations and a slight wobble in its axis.The solstice affects daylight differently depending on location. Higher latitudes receive less daylight, meaning northern regions of the UK get shorter days than those further south.Some areas in the Arctic Circle will not see the Sun rise at all. This happens because the Earth’s tilt keeps parts of the far north in darkness during this period.Across Scotland, daylight ranges from under six to just over seven hours on December 21. Lerwick has the least sunlight at 5 hours 49 minutes, while Dumfries has the most at 7 hours 9 minutes.The solstice marks the start of astronomical winter but not meteorological winter. Meteorological winter begins on December 1, but the solstice marks the point after which days slowly begin to get longer.READ THE FULL STORY: When is the winter solstice? Date and how many hours of daylight Scotland will get?Follow Daily Record:
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.
Accept