Winter Solstice Hits UK on December 21 at 3:03 p.m.

The winter solstice arrives this Sunday, December 21, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year across the Northern Hemisphere, including the United Kingdom, where the event occurs precisely at 3:03 p.m. GMT.

This astronomical milestone signifies the moment when the Earth's North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun, positioning the sun at its southernmost point in the sky as viewed from northern latitudes. In the UK, daylight will be severely limited, with the sun rising to its lowest noon altitude and setting early in the afternoon. For instance, in Edinburgh, sunset is expected at 3:40 p.m., while in Glasgow it follows at 3:45 p.m. London will see the sun dip below the horizon at 3:54 p.m., resulting in a day length of just seven hours, 49 minutes, and 42 seconds, nearly nine hours shorter than on the summer solstice.

The solstice does not coincide with the year's earliest sunset, which occurred on December 12 at around 3:51 p.m. in many areas, due to the equation of time, a discrepancy between solar time and clock time. The latest sunrise, meanwhile, is not until December 30. Following the solstice, daylight hours will begin to increase incrementally,...