Winter solstice arrives with the shortest day of the year

Today marks the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year. The sun will rise at 6:39 am and set by 4:54 pm, giving just under eight hours of daylight. After this point, days will slowly grow longer again. The solstice signals the start of astronomical winter. It brings the longest night and the briefest period of daylight for the entire year. From now until June, daylight hours will steadily increase, while nights will shorten.

Over recent decades, climate change has subtly altered the length of days. Earth's rotation has slowed by roughly 1.33 milliseconds per century—a rate faster than natural shifts over the past 3.6 million years. This change affects both day and night equally, though the impact is too small to notice in daily life.

The solstice is a turning point for daylight, with longer days ahead. While the shift in day length from climate change remains minimal, it reflects broader planetary changes. For now, the focus remains on the gradual return of extended sunlight in the coming months.