Winter Solstice 2024
Winter solstice, which occurs on Sunday, December 21 at exactly 4:21AM EST, is the astronomical beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. Regardless of where you live in the northern hemisphere the winter solstice happens at the exact same moment for all of us. It occurs when the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted its farthest from the Sun placing the Sun directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. It’s the shortest day and longest night of the year and no matter what the weather is outside, warm and sunny in Florida or snowing in Ohio, this moment marks the official start of winter.
Our ancient ancestors observed and studied the sky. They knew the Sun’s path across the sky, the changing sunrise and sunset locations and the changes in daylight. They observed that these changes happened in a regular and predictable pattern throughout the year. At winter solstice the Sun appears at its lowest in the sky and its position above the horizon at noon seems to stay the same for several days before and after the solstice. It was this observation that gave us the word solstice, which comes from the Latin word solstitium meaning “sun stands still.”
As the winter solstice has approached, we’ve been very much aware that our daylight hours have been growing shorter. We also know that after the solstice they will begin to grow longer. However, not having our scientific understanding of the winter solstice, to our ancestors the dwindling daylight and threat of starvation with the coming winter months was very real and scary. Since ancient times they dealt with their fear that the Sun would be gone forever by holding various celebrations and rites to light up the darkness encouraging the Sun to return and bring new life. Some of our most cherished Christmas traditions grew out of these early solstice celebrations – lighting of the yule log, decorating with evergreens, Christmas lights, kissing under the mistletoe, giving of gifts and many more.
Take time to enjoy the quiet beauty of nature on this day. Take a morning walk on the 21st or an evening walk on the 20th or 21st. On the 20th The Wilderness Center is celebrating this event with a Winter Solstice Night Hike, followed by a favorite seasonal planetarium show Season of Light and if the sky is clear, observing in TWC’s observatory with our Astronomy Club. Registration for this event is required and is limited to 25 people.