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Anyone who has been enduring Spain's recent miserable weather and dreary short days can take heart as this Sunday marks the winter solstice, and from that moment onwards, daylight hours will finally start getting longer again.

 

The solstice arrives in Spain at precisely 4.03pm on December 21, marking the shortest day and longest night in the northern hemisphere. After the recent rain, thunderstorms and blustery winds, it’s a milestone many of us have been eagerly anticipating.

 

The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin sol, meaning sun, and sistere, meaning to stand still. It describes the moment when the sun appears to pause in its journey across the sky, sitting directly above the Tropic of Capricorn at its most southerly point of the year.

 

For those in the southern hemisphere, this brings their longest day and the sun at its highest angle. For us in the north, it means the least sunlight and consequently the maximum amount of darkness we will experience all year.

 

The reason we have solstices at all is down to the Earth's somewhat wonky angle. Our planet is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, which affects which part of the surface receives direct sunlight at any given time. This tilt is also why the date of the solstice can vary slightly from year to year.

 

Earth takes around 365.24 days to complete an orbit around the sun, not an exact year. The timing of the solstice therefore slips by about six hours each year, adding up to a full day over four years. When this happens, we have a leap year with an extra day in the calendar, allowing the solstice to revert to its earlier date. Other factors that influence the timing include variations in the length of the Earth's orbit and a wobble in its axis caused by rotation.

 

Once the solstice passes, the sun begins its journey north again relative to the equator. Six months later it will reach its most northerly point, directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer, giving us the summer solstice. Midway between the two solstices come the equinoxes, when the sun sits directly over the equator.

 

The amount of daylight on the solstice depends on latitude. The further north you are, the shorter your day will be. Incredibly, within the Arctic Circle, down to a latitude of 23.5 degrees from the North Pole, the sun will not rise at all on Sunday.

 

Whether the solstice actually marks the start of winter depends on your perspective. Meteorological winter began on December 1, approximately three weeks before the solstice, and runs until the final day of February. Weather forecasters divide the year into four equal chunks of three months each, with spring running from March to May, summer from June to August and autumn from September until November.

 

Astronomical seasons, on the other hand, are defined by Earth's position in its orbit, marked out by the solstices and equinoxes. By this measure, Sunday is officially the first day of winter.

 

Either way, the arrival of the solstice brings good news for anyone weary of dark mornings and early sunsets. From Monday onwards, each day will bring a little more light, inching towards the brighter months ahead.

Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered what’s out there to see? Do you ever feel the desire to get lost, floating along the milky way? Or maybe you’re just looking for something a bit different to do this weekend?

Try out an Astronomy Tour at the Finca Astronomica in the Campo de Cartagena in Murcia! The Finca Astronomica is a place where families and friends can spend quality time together close to nature to learn about astronomy.

Contact the Finca Astronomica to visit for a daytime or nighttime Astronomy Tour, or book one of their cruises under the stars:

 

Image: Freepik