Winter solstice: The science behind the shortest day of the year

[admin]

What happens during the winter solstice? Here's why this day is the shortest day of the year, with the fewest hours of daylight. The winter solstice falls on Dec. 21 or 22 every year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter solstice: The science behind the shortest day of the year : Read more

 

[rclarke32001]

Also of interest to me is the occurrence of the earliest and latest sunset and sunrise. As a youngster I assumed that the earliest sunset and latest sunrise would occur on the solstice. This is not the case. At 40 d north, the earliest sunset is on Dec 8 and the latest sunrise occurs on Jan 5. Happy New Year

 

[Hayseed]

That's because of the 23 degree tilt. The sunrise shines on you at an angle for your position. The latitude lines are angled during the earth's spin. And you leave the sunlight at a different position or angle. This gap in angle is why you get different max and min times. Does that make any sense?