Winter solstice arrives: Everything to know about shortest day, longest night of 2025

The northern hemisphere officially welcomed astronomical winter at Sunday, December 21, at 8:03 PM, with the arrival of the winter solstice.

This celestial event marks the shortest day and longest night of the year for those living north of the equator. Most importantly, for a brief moment, the Earth’s North Pole will tilt at its farthest point away from the sun, resulting in the fewest hours of daylight.

It occurs due to a direct astronomical consequence of Earth’s two fundamental motions ie., its permanent tilt on an axis and its yearly orbit around the Sun,

The planet doesn’t spin upright but is fixed at an angle of around 23.5 degree relative to its orbital path.

In simple words, it spins while perpetually leaning to one side. It is this constant axial tilt, combined with our revolution around the SUn, that creates the cycle of seasons and the dramatic variation in the length of days throughout the year.

In June, the northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. While, in December, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun.

The winter solstice itself showcases the precise turning point in this cycle. This marks the astronomical “peak” of winter’s darkness for the north, the farthest point in our orbit where the hemisphere receives the least direct sunlight, resulting in the year’s shortest day.