Winter Solstice 2022: What is fact behind shortest day of year, is it getting longer? All you need to know

Winter Solstice 2022: The world will observe this year's shortest day tomorrow, which is known by the name the winter solstice. It generally falls on either day of 21 December or 22 December, but the winter solstice will be observed this year on Thursday, 22 December.

What is the fact behind winter solstice?

The word 'Solstice' is derived from the Latin scientific term 'solstitium', which roughly means "sun standing still". During the end of the year, the Northern Hemisphere receives less sunlight, whereas the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer.This means that the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere will be 22December because the South Pole will be tilted toward the sun and have more sun exposure.
The winter solstice, or the shortest day, occurs around 22 December in the northern hemisphere and 21 June in the southern hemisphere. After 22December, the days will begin to extend and the nights will become shorter.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

When is the winter solstice observed?

The precise moment of the winter solstice is when the Earth’s north pole points directly away from the sun, and the sun is directly over the tropic of Capricorn, at about 23.4 degrees south – takes place at 03:17 am IST. The Winter solstice sunrise will be at 7:10 am and sunset at 5:29 pm.

Also Read |Endangered pink land iguana makes a miraculous comeback

According to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the winter solstice of this year will be observed on Wednesday, 21 December at 9:48 pm, the international standard time that astronomers also use. Though the exact dates can vary by a day or two every year, solstices occur every June and December. They occur at the same time all over the world, though with contrasting effects on opposite sides of the equator.

How is the shortest day of the year getting longer?

According to astronomers, the shortest day of the year is getting longer by a few seconds each century. But how is that possible? It is because of two things,changes in the tilt of the Earth’s axis and the orbit of the Moon.Graham Jones, Astrophysicist & Science Communicator explains, "The reason for this is that the Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing, as part of a repeating cycle that lasts 40,000 years or so."

Earth orbits the Sun on an axis that is titled 23.4º. That tilt affects how much sunlight each hemisphere of Earth gets at different times of the year, both in terms of how long the days are and how low or high it hangs in the sky.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.