Winter solstice
December 22, 2022
The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice, occured this year on December 21, 2022. The Earth, turning on its axis as it circles the sun, is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit. At the winter solstice, the axis, as seen from the north, tilts directly away from the sun, which is why everything north of the Arctic Circle experiences 24 hours of darkness. The rest of the Northern Hemisphere…