Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the official beginning of winter. The sun is at its lowest in our sky because the North Pole of our tilted planet is pointing away from it.
Winter solstice is the phenomenon when one of the Earth's hemispheres (either the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere) experiences the shortest day and longest night of the year. It occurs annually around December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere and around June 20th or 21st in the Southern Hemisphere. During winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted furthest away from the Sun, causing the Sun to appear at its lowest point in the sky and the daylight hours to be the shortest. Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice with the South Pole tilted closest to the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night. The term "solstice" is derived from the Latin words "sol" (meaning sun) and "sistere" (meaning to stand still), as during the solstice, the Sun's elevation in the sky appears to have stopped changing, marking the astronomical beginning of winter or summer depending on the hemisphere.
