Winter solstice 2026
Monday 21 December 2026, 20:49 UTC
The Sun reaches its southernmost point, 23.44 degrees south of the celestial equator. In the northern hemisphere it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, the astronomical start of winter; from now on the days grow longer. In the southern hemisphere summer begins.
Sunrise, sunset and day length that day (local time)
| Place | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 08:03 | 15:53 | 7 h 50 min |
| Edinburgh | 08:41 | 15:40 | 6 h 58 min |
| New York | 07:16 | 16:32 | 9 h 15 min |
| Los Angeles | 06:54 | 16:48 | 9 h 53 min |
| Toronto | 07:47 | 16:43 | 8 h 56 min |
| Sydney | 05:40 | 20:06 | 14 h 25 min |
| Auckland | 05:58 | 20:40 | 14 h 42 min |
The earliest sunset does not fall on the shortest day: in London the Sun sets earliest on 12 December (15:51) and rises latest only on 30 December (08:05). The reason is the Earth's elliptical orbit and the tilt of its axis: true noon drifts by half an hour over the year.