Winter solstice 2027
Wednesday 22 December 2027, 02:41 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 | 15:54 | 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 | 16:47 | 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 13 December (15:51) and rises latest only on 31 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.