Overview
- The solstice occurs on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 10:03 a.m. EST (3:03 p.m. GMT), which officially begins astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
- In London there will be about 7 hours 49 minutes 42 seconds of daylight, and the latest sunrise there is expected around Dec. 30 because of the equation of time.
- Daylight lengthens only gradually after the solstice, with early gains of roughly a minute per day and London’s next 5 p.m. sunset not forecast until Feb. 7, 2026, according to Timeanddate.com.
- Ancient sites such as Newgrange, Stonehenge and Maeshowe are aligned to the solstices, and excavations at Durrington Walls point to large midwinter feasts.
- Skywatchers can catch sunset alignments at Stonehenge and winter night-sky highlights including Jupiter, Orion, Sirius and the Ursid meteor shower peaking Dec. 21–22, as some astrologers frame this solstice as spiritually potent.