Overview
- The astronomical moment fell on Sunday, December 21 at 15:03 UTC (10:03 a.m. EST / 3:03 p.m. GMT), confirming the year’s shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
- English Heritage said nearly 8,500 people attended sunrise at Stonehenge, with its livestream topping 242,000 views worldwide.
- The event occurs because Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees, placing the midday sun over the Tropic of Capricorn and delivering the Southern Hemisphere its longest day.
- Daylight will now lengthen slowly—by roughly a minute per day at first—and the latest sunrise arrives days after the solstice, around December 30 in London.
- Archaeological and cultural traditions tie solstice observances to ancient alignments and midwinter feasting at sites such as Stonehenge, Durrington Walls and Warren Field.