Winter Solstice marks shortest day of the year in Britain as daylight begins to lengthen

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, with Britain typically receiving about 7.5 hours of daylight. At 15:03 GMT, the sun will appear to stand still over the Tropic of Capricorn as the solstice occurs, signaling the start of winter in the astronomical calendar.

The solstice arises from Earth’s tilt of about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the sun. That tilt makes the Sun’s apparent movement north or south pause briefly before it resumes its path. The term solstice comes from the Latin words for sun and stand still, a nod to that pause. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice yields the shortest day and longest night of the year.

London will see about 7 hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds of daylight today, while Truro in Cornwall will have roughly 8 hours 1 minute and 55 seconds, and John O’Groats in Scotland will experience about 6 hours 16 minutes and 54 seconds of daylight.

Today also marks the start of winter in the astronomical calendar. The astronomical winter runs from December 21, 2025, to March 20, 2026. By contrast, meteorological winter is defined as December, January and February, with 1 December as the start and ending on the 28th or 29th of February in leap years.

As the solstice passes, daylight hours begin to lengthen, even as temperatures continue to fall. The tilt of Earth means the Northern Hemisphere gradually receives more sunlight in the days ahead, with evenings slowly growing brighter into the first part of the new year.