Winter solstice 2016: What is it and when is the shortest day of the year?

Francesca Gillett21 December 2016

Londoners will wake up to the shortest day of the year on Wednesday as the winter solstice arrives.

From Wednesday the days will begin getting longer with fewer hours of darkness every day, bringing comfort to Brits for whom winter is their least favourite season.

Wednesday will last for just 7 hours and 49 minutes – shorter than the average working day of eight hours.

It is over eight hours shorter than the longest day of the year in June.

The annual December solstice happens at the same moment for everyone on earth – although is called the summer solstice in countries south of the equator.

For those in the southern hemisphere, Wednesday’s solstice will be the opposite of the UK with people experiencing the longest day of the year.

Why does the winter solstice happen?

The phenomenon happens when the North Pole is tilted at the furthest possible angle away from the Sun – 23.5 degrees - meaning the least amount of sunlight gets to earth.

This year the sun will rise over Stonehenge in Wiltshire at 8.09am and set at 4.02pm.

Ancient ritual: Druids, pagans and revellers at Stonehenge for the winter solstice ceremony on December 21 in 2013.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

What time is the winter solstice?

This year the solstice will happen at 10.44am on Wednesday – the point where the Sun is at its furthest from the “celestial equator,” the projection of the Earth’s equator onto the sky.

The exact time of the solstice is usually always on December 21 but can change and happen anytime from December 20 to 23.

Ceremony: The Charnwood Grove of Druids gather for a public winter solstice ritual on Beacon Hill near Loughborough, Britain on December 18, 2016.
REUTERS

Why do people go to Stonehenge?

Hundreds are likely to gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to see the marvel on Wednesday morning.

The ancient stones, which are shrouded in mystery, are flocked to every year on the winter solstice.

The pre-historic monument is perfectly aligned on a sight-line in the direction of the winter solstice sunset.

Experts believe the winter solstice was a significant date for the people who constructed the stones.

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