The year has almost reached its final stretch, the natural cycle through which the Earth constantly goes through is in the last stage. The natural cycle of the planet and the life that inhabits it have reached their greatest period of recess and winter in the northern hemisphere is coming with the arrival of the winter solstice 2021. Here are some keys to understanding what this astronomical phenomenon is and what its arrival means.
What is the winter solstice?
The seasons of the year and therefore the equinoxes and solstices are a consequence of the movements of the Earth. Our planet rotates on its own axis and it also rotates around the Sun, however, it must be understood that our planet does not rotate perfectly parallel to the ecliptic. The latter is an imaginary line that crosses the Solar System horizontally.
Our planet has a tilt axis of 23.5° which means that sunlight does not reach equally in both hemispheres. This is how the equinoxes and solstices that mark the entrance of the four annual seasons through which the Earth crosses are produced.
The solstice, whose term comes from the Latin ‘solstium‘ which means ‘still sun’, marks the beginning of summer and/or winter, depending on the date and the geographic hemisphere. It occurs because the Sun falls on the most distant point of the Earth’s equator. The closest consequence is that one of the two hemispheres will receive more light than the other and the longest night will be produced for the winter solstice and the longest day for the summer solstice.
When will be the winter solstice 2021
The official entry of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere, comes in the middle of December. Seasonal changes prepare to transform the length of day and night. Darkness reigns more and more with much longer nights. Right at the very beginning of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year occurs.
The entrance of the solstice will be given precisely on December 21, 2021 15:50 UTCday when officially winter will enter the northern hemisphere. Right around this time, the Sun will be moving further south in the sky and the Earth will be at a slight tilt that will give some places a magical winter darkness in the north. Just as it happens in the polar night in the heart of the north pole.
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