Winter Solstice

The winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Wednesday, December 21, at 4:47 pm EST (21:47 UTC). The winter solstice is the point in the earth’s orbit when the North Pole is tilted directly away from the sun. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, and it marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.