When is winter solstice 2017? Here's your guide to the shortest day of the year

Winter solstice 2016 at Stonhenge.

New Delhi: The universe has given us many miracles to experience. One such miracle is the winter solstice, which is also known as midwinter.

While it may feel that the days are already shorter, we haven't yet reached the winter solstice.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.

The date of the winter solstice is different every year, falling between December 20th and 23rd.

However, just like last year this year too, the December solstice happens to fall on Thursday, December 21. The sun will rise in the UK at 08:03 GMT and set at 15:53 GMT, giving just 7 hours and 50 minutes of daylight.

Why does this happen?

The Earth orbits around the sun on a tilted axis. So, when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees and the North Pole is tilted farthest, that is 23.5 degrees, away from the sun, we receive the fewest hours of sunlight in the entire year. The Southern Hemisphere on the other hand, experiences the opposite effect, with people experiencing the longest day and shortest night.

The sun, at this time, is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere during the December solstice and is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year, thereby resulting in shorter days and longer nights.

The day after the winter solstice, which as per this year is Friday, December 22, marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.

In England, as a sort of tradition, the people descend on Stonehenge to experience the solstice for themselves every year.

After the solstice, the days will gradually get longer until the summer solstice on Thursday, 21 June 2018.