The Winter Solstice, recognized as the shortest day of the year, occurs between December 21 and 22 annually in the Northern Hemisphere. This yearly event is a significant geographical occurrence where one of Earth's poles reaches its farthest tilt away from the sun. This tilt, at approximately 23.4 degrees means the North Pole is at its farthest angle from the sun.

Due to this the sun rays spreads thinly across the hemisphere resulting in shorter days and longer nights. This year the Winter Solstice 2023 will take place on Friday December 22. It should be noted that while the northern hemisphere on this day will celebrate the celestial event, the southern hemisphere will witness the phenomenon in June. Winter Solstice 2023 Date, History and Significance: When Is the Shortest Day of the Year? Know All About the December Solstice.

Relevance of Winter Solstice:

The process of the significant worldwide moment will start on Thursday night when the sun will be directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn on Southern Hemisphere. The winter solstice occurring north of the equator and the summer solstice happening south of it mark the official commencement of a new season. It's a pivotal event that signifies shifts in weather patterns and stands as one of the chilliest, dimmest days for the hemisphere encountering the winter solstice. Betelgeuse Star, Dubbed as One of the Brightest and Biggest, to Briefly Disappear in Once-in-a-Lifetime Coincidence.

Winter Solstice in India

Several countries across the northern hemisphere including India will have the shortest day and longest night on December 22, 2023. In Ujjain, the sun will rise at 7:05 am and set at 5:46 pm. Because of this event, the daylight in Ujjain will last for 10 hours and 41 minutes, while the night will extend for 13 hours and 19 minutes, announced Government Jiwaji Observatory’s superintendent Dr Rajendra Gupt.

On this day, the sun rays will enter Cyan Capricorn and will be precisely positioned at 0 degrees within Capricorn. The northward movement of the sun on hemisphere marks the beginning of Uttarayan. In this six month period the days will gradually start becoming longer and the night will start getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun rays will fall directly on the equator on March 21, meaning equal day and equal night, the Equinox.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2023 06:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).