Five questions about today’s winter solstice, answered
The longest night of the year and how it works.
By Katie Peek with Rachel Feltman Yesterday at 11:20am
Winter Sun
During the winter, the sun stays pretty low in the sky. That’s because of the direction of the Earth’s axis in the sky—it’s leaning back, away from the sun.
Corina Ardeleanu
Note: This article was originally written in 2015. It has been updated with the latest info.
1. When is the 2017 winter solstice, exactly?
Pretty much right (looks at watch) now. The winter solstice always occurs when the sun is right smack dab on top of the Tropic of Capricorn, which is 11:28 a.m. eastern time on December 21. Depending on when exactly that special moment falls, the solstice can get split into two separate days for various time zones across the northern hemisphere. But this year, we're all on the same page.
https://www.popsci.com/five-questions-about-winter-solstice-answered
