Astrophotographers rejoice! The winter solstice marks the day with the most number of night time hours. For people living in the southern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on the 20th or 21st of June.
The increase in the number of night time hours occurs due to the axial tilt of the Earth. During the southern hemisphere’s winter, the South Pole points away from the Sun. This results in less of the southern hemisphere being illuminated by the Sun at any given point in time. For people in the northern hemisphere the opposite is true. The North Pole points towards the Sun, resulting in more daylight hours for people in the northern hemisphere.
Interesting facts about Solstices
- There are two solstices every year.
- In the Southern Hemisphere, we experience the winter solstice in June, and the summer solstice in December.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the names of the equinoxes are reversed.
- The Sun is at it’s northern most point in the sky during the winter solstice.
- At the winter solstice the sun rises and sets higher in the north than any other day.
- There are less hours of daylight on the winter solstice than any other day.
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Stargazers Club WA is especially for beginners! We’re a wonderful community of stargazing and astronomy lovers.
