Winter Solstice 2020: What to Know About the Shortest Day of the Year

2020 Winter Solstice Monday, December 21 at 5:02 a.m. ET / 2:02 p.m. Is, the official beginning of astronomical winter and marks the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, that day is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

A 23.5-degree tilt in the Earth’s axis of rotation makes the sun appear to rise and fall during a year. During the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted at its farthest distance from the sun, resulting in low light and cold temperatures.

The bending of the earth – not our distance from the sun – causes winter and summer. In fact, the earth is closer to the sun during the winter than during the summer months.

Soltisis is not just a big astronomical event on Monday.

During the “Great Connection” on Monday, Jupiter and Saturn will form a “double planet”, appearing only a tenth of a degree apart – or about the thickness of a dime on arm’s length.

The event is described by three wise men in the Christian Bible as the “Christmas star” in reference to the celestial light that guided Jesus.

Skyscrapers can distinguish Saturn and Jupiter from the stars because the planets will appear “brighter and more solid in the sky.”