This year’s winter solstice took place in the early hours of Friday morning. Now the nights are getting shorter once more and the days are longer. This year’s winter solstice occurred on December 22nd at 4:27 a.m. (Central European Time) and heralded the beginning of astronomical winter. At this time the sun reaches its zenith at the Tropic of Capricorn and the days become longer once more from now on. At least in the northern hemisphere.
It also marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Beyond the Southern Arctic Circle, however, the sun will not set at all. It is polar day in Antarctica. At the North Pole I don’t see the sun at all on this day, it’s polar night there.
Thousands of people celebrated at Stonehenge
Thousands of people celebrated the winter solstice at the English stone monument Stonehenge. They greeted the sunrise there on Friday morning. Some came dressed up, wearing flower wreaths, feathers and some unusual headdresses.
Image gallery: Thousands celebrate winter solstice at Stonehenge
Winter Solstice at Stonehenge 2023 (Photo: DANIEL LEAL (AFP)) Bild 1/20
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“It was wonderful to welcome around 6,000 people to Stonehenge this morning,” said Rebecca Eade of English Heritage. Thousands also watched online. The Stonehenge stone circle is one of the most famous landmarks in Great Britain. The stones are precisely aligned with the position of the sun on the summer and winter solstices. It is believed that the two days have been celebrated there for thousands of years. It is still not clear what the Neolithic stone colossi were originally intended for.
