Winter season has arrived, currently the month of December is going on. In this season the days are short and nights are long. There comes a day in December, when there is the shortest day and longest night of the year.
The winter season has begun. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. Today, 21 December holds special importance because on this day there will be the longest night of the year, which will last for about 16 hours. At the same time, the day will be only 8 hours. This is known as the winter solstice. On this day the distance of the Earth from the Sun is more and the moonlight remains on the Earth for a longer time.
Astronomical reason for change in day and night time
The Winter Solstice astronomical event occurs due to the inclination of the Earth by 23.4 degrees, which makes it different from normal days. On normal days, the time of day and night is almost the same, that is, there is 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. But after 21 December, the nights start becoming shorter and the days start becoming longer. This is known as the winter solstice.
How Winter Solstice got its name
If you are keen to know how Winter Solstice got its name, it originates from a Latin word called ‘solstice’. ‘Sol’ means Sun and ‘sestare’ means stability. The combination of these two words formed the word ‘solstice’ which means the Sun standing still.
On 21 and 22 December each year, the rays of the Sun fall directly on the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, making the Northern Hemisphere farthest from the Sun. This is why the Northern Hemisphere has the shortest day and the longest night.
This day has a greater impact especially in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, where the length of the day increases and the nights are shorter. There is also a special moment of this day, when your shadow disappears completely.
The main reason for the change of seasons on Earth is its tilted axis and its rotation around the Sun. Our earth is tilted on its axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees, due to which the sun rays fall at different angles at different places at different times.