Winter Solstice, which made December 21 the shortest day of the year

Context

• December 21, is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

What is Winter Solstice?

• The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to its orbital plane.
• This tilt, combined with factors such as Earth’s spin and orbit, leads to variations in the duration of sunlight that any location on the planet receives on different days of the year.
• The Northern Hemisphere spends half the year tilted in the direction of the Sun, getting direct sunlight during long summer days.
• During the other half of the year, it tilts away from the Sun, and the days are shorter.
• Winter Solstice, December 21, is the day when the North Pole is most tilted away from the Sun.
• The tilt is also responsible for the different seasons that we see on Earth. The side facing the Sun experiences day, which changes to night as Earth continues to spin on its axis.