Tomorrow to be the shortest day of the year 2023

ISLAMABAD: The journey of year 2023 is about to wrap up and tomorrow December 22 (Friday) will be its shortest day.

As the southern hemisphere celebrates the start of summer, those north of the equator will experience the shortest day of the year, known as the winter solstice.

This year, it falls on Friday, the first day of winter.

The word “solstice” derives from sol, the Latin word for sun, and sistere, which means “to come to a stop or make stand”.

Astronomy says that the nights of December 23 will be the longest night of the ongoing year. On this day, the sun will rise at 6:59 AM and after 10 hours of spreading light it will down at 5:10 PM.

On December 23, the night will long more than 14 hours. On March 21 and 22, 2024, the duration of day and night will be equal.

From June 22 to December 22, the day shortens by 80 seconds each day, during this period the wraps up in 10 hours and then the night stays 14 hours.

Similarly, from December 22 to June 21, the day gets longer by 45 seconds.

What is science behind winter solstice?

The winter solstice occurs in December, and in the Northern Hemisphere the date marks the 24-hour period with the fewest daylight hours of the year. That is why it is known as the shortest day of the year, or the longest night of the year.

Because of this tilt, sunlight has to travel through more of the earth’s atmosphere, making it weaker and spreading out. This makes it colder, and we experience shorter days and longer nights. The sun appears lower in the sky, casting longer shadows. So, the winter solstice is like the earth doing a little tilt away from the sun, giving us the coldest and darkest part of the year.

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