It's the shortest day of the year—but it's
also the start of longer days.
In the United States and for other people
who live in the Northern Hemisphere
(above the Equator), winter is a season of
cold, dark days—but if you're lucky, lots of
snow to sled on!
The winter solstice marks the exact time
when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away
from the sun. This year, here in the United
States, it will happen on December 21, 9:58
a.m. Central Time.
Because less sunlight reaches Earth, the
winter solstice is also the day of the year
with the least amount of daytime, known as
the shortest day of the year. But the good
news is that every day after the winter
solstice will be a little longer, until we reach
the day with the most hours of daylight.
That's called the summer solstice, which will
happen here on June 21, 2022.
In the Southern Hemisphere (below the
equator), the seasons are reversed. The
winter solstice happens in June. So, in New
Zealand for example, it can actually snow in
July!
Although the winter solstice is the
shortest day of the year, it's not necessarily
the coldest. The coldest temperatures often
happen in January or February, depending
on where you live. That's because the
Earth's land and water takes time to cool
down.
can you see the solstice?
Yes—kind of. On the winter solstice, if
you stand outside at noon and look at your
shadow, it will be the longest shadow you
cast the entire year.
That's because in winter in the Northern
Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted away
from the sun, so the sun is lower in the sky—
and your shadow looks long.
what's the
Winter Solstice?
Winter
lasts for
21 years on
Uranus.
W
e
i
rd
but
t
r
u
e
Winter facts:
a snowflake can
take up to 2 hours
to fall from a cloud
to the ground.
the north pole
is warmer than
the south pole.
It gets so cold in
siberia that your
breath can turn to
ice in midair.
the tallest
known
snowman was
higher than
a 12-story
building.
almost
90%
of snow is
air
www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
6 • December 2021 • www.OfficialKidsmag.com
