Winter Begins Thursday, December 21st at 10:27 PM EST

The Northern Hemisphere winter solstice will occur Thursday, December 21st at 10:27 PM EST. The winter solstice occurs at the moment the earth's tilt away/toward the sun is at a maximum, with December 21st marking the shortest day and longest night of the year for locations in the northern half of the globe, given the Northern Hemisphere being tilted away from the sun. On the day of the winter solstice, the sun appears at its lowest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the solstice. The Northern Hemisphere winter solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at 23.5° south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil, and northern South Africa.