The Winter Solstice in 2025, observed on December 21st, marked the shortest day and longest night of the year. According to astronomy, on this day, the sun’s rays fall directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. This phenomenon occurs due to the Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees.
Winter Solstice 2025 Brings the Year’s Shortest Day and Longest Night
New Delhi: 21 December marked the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In simpler terms, the day ended relatively early, and the night was long. In astronomical terms, this phenomenon is called the Winter Solstice. Scientists and astronomers have shared important information regarding this celestial event.
National Award-winning science communicator Sarika Gharu explained that the Winter Solstice is the astronomical event when the sun's rays fall perpendicularly on the Tropic of Capricorn. This situation occurred at 8:33 PM Indian Standard Time on Sunday night. After this moment, the sun begins its northward journey, meaning the sun gradually starts moving towards the north.
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From a scientific perspective, the main reason for the Winter Solstice is the Earth's tilt of 23.5 degrees on its axis. The Earth revolves around the sun with this tilted axis. In December, when the Earth is in that part of its orbit where the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun, the sun's rays fall obliquely on the Northern Hemisphere.
On December 21, the sun follows its lowest path across the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day, the sun:
Rises from the southernmost point on the horizon
Reaches its lowest altitude of the year at noon
And sets earliest
This is why the duration of daylight decreases throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including India. In many parts of North India, the daylight hours are less than 11 hours.
The question often arises: why isn't it the coldest day when the day is the shortest? Scientists call this the seasonal lag. The Earth and oceans release heat slowly, so the lowest temperatures are usually recorded in January, even though the days are starting to get longer.
From the day after the winter solstice:
The length of daylight gradually begins to increase.
Sunrise occurs slightly earlier and sunset slightly later.
The Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt back towards the sun.
Initially, this change is measured in seconds, which increases to minutes in the following weeks.
Throughout history, many ancient civilizations celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of renewal and life. Even today, winter festivals in many countries around the world are associated with this astronomical event. The winter solstice reminds us that even darkness has its limits, and the return of light is inevitable.
