Overview
- The solstice occurs Sunday at 10:03 a.m. EST (3:03 p.m. GMT), marking the start of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Caused by Earth's roughly 23.5° axial tilt, the sun sits over the Tropic of Capricorn, bringing the shortest daylight in the north and the start of summer in the south.
- Daylight will increase only gradually at first, and the latest sunrise comes days after the solstice (around Dec. 30 in London) because of orbital timing quirks.
- Practical markers include 7 hours 49 minutes of daylight in London today and the city’s next post‑5 p.m. sunset on Feb. 7, 2026, while Alabama sees about 10 hours of sun.
- The date is observed at solar‑aligned sites like Stonehenge and Newgrange and in traditions such as Yule and Ojibwe winter storytelling, with Stonehenge viewable via livestream and the Ursid meteors peaking overnight.