Autumn ends and winter begins. The night is the longest, but then the days start to get longer again. The winter solstice falls today: it is the shortest day of the year, the one in which we can enjoy a few hours of light, instead of many hours of darkness.
The solstice 2024
The new season begins at 10.21am (Italian time) on Saturday 21 December. It is the day of the solstice, when the Sun remains lower on the horizon, sunset comes early and the hours of darkness last much longer than the rest of the year. Even if winter officially begins today, the days will no longer be shorter, on the contrary, they will gradually begin to get longer and on the day of the spring equinox, which in 2025 will be March 20th, the hours of light will be as many as those of dark. The lengthening of the days continues until the summer solstice, the reverse of the winter one: it is the longest day of the year.
Because the solstice is not always the same day
Although it always occurs around this date, the solstice phenomenon varies every year. In fact, solstice refers to the moment in which the Sun is lower or higher than the horizon. Compared to the Earth, the Sun follows an apparent motion: it is the ecliptic, which lasts about a year. The calendar, with respect to astronomical motions, presents a phase shift of about six hours every year – which is why the solstice sometimes falls a day earlier or a day later, as in the case of last year. The six extra hours are made up thanks to leap years: every four years a day is added to the calendar, February 29th. Without this measure, the seasons in the long run would be completely different from the trend we know today.
And Saint Lucia? It’s not the shortest day there is
Despite the saying, Saint Lucia is not the shortest day there is. However, the proverb is not without foundation: it has been so in the past. Before the Gregorian calendar came into force in 1582, December 13, the day on which the saint is venerated, was actually close to the winter solstice, marking the beginning of the lengthening of the days.
Today is the winter solstice 2024: December 21st is the shortest day of the year
https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2024/12/21/news/solstizio_inverno_oggi_21_dicembre-423900343/?rss
