Winter solstice marks shortest day, beginning of winter

Experts say the number of hours of daylight varies, with the continental US seeing a range from fewer than 8 1/2 hours to more than 10 1/2 hours.

Our picture shows what things were like at the Dun Ailinne monument at this time in December 2010… a tad less wintry today. After the winter solstice, the days grow longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere.

What is the Winter Solstice?

The official start and end of Winter can vary by country – not because Winter starts a week or so earlier in one country than another in the same hemisphere, but because the recognition of the start of Winter is often influenced by historical or cultural reasons particular to that country.

The sun sets between the trilithon at the site, which is where two vertical pillars stand next to each other, supporting a horizontal stone on top.

After this date, the days start getting longer.

This lag in temperature occurs because even though the amount of daylight is increasing, the Earth’s surface continues to lose more heat than it receives from the sun. This happens when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as it will be all year.

Matt Hinkin said there will be longer and longer days until the summer solstice, which is the first day of summer and also the longest day of the year. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun god and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.

In the United Kingdom, the solstice will occur tomorrow (Tuesday December 22). The ancient ruins are carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset.