Winter Solstice Arrives December 21, 2025

The winter solstice arrived on December 21, 2025, at 10:03 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, marking the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official start of astronomical winter. This annual astronomical event occurs when Earth's North Pole tilts farthest from the sun, resulting in the least amount of daylight for locations north of the equator.

At that precise moment, the sun reached its southernmost position in the sky, appearing at its lowest point during midday and tracing its briefest arc across the heavens. In New York City, daylight lasted just 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 16 seconds, while Newark saw 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 6 seconds, and Atlantic City experienced 9 hours, 23 minutes, and 34 seconds. Farther north in London, the day spanned about 7 hours, 49 minutes, and 42 seconds, according to astrophysics expert Dr. Shyam Balaji of King's College London. These durations vary by latitude, with the effect most pronounced near the poles, where the North Pole remains in continuous darkness and the South Pole enjoys 24-hour sunlight.

The solstice stems from Earth's 23.5-degree axial tilt as it orbits the sun, which causes uneven distribution of sunlight...