Winter solstice Dec 21, 2025

Ever felt as if the night just wouldn"t end? That"s the winter solstice working its magic. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring around December 21 or 22. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same happens around June 21 or 22. It marks the moment when one of Earth"s poles tilts farthest from the sun. From that instant, daylight slowly begins to lengthen again.

© Schon/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Rainbow around the sun
Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec 21, 2024Happy winter solstice!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 17, 2025Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
Jan 29, 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, United States
Jan 8, 2026Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
Feb 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Apr 7, 2025North American beaver, Moran, Wyoming, United States
Apr 29, 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Feb 5, 2025Waitangi Day in New Zealand
Sunlight turning silver to gold
Nature, art, and...math?
‘Night shining’ clouds
Feb 18, 2025The Great Blue Hole, Belize
A sky full of stars
Jun 28, 2025Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Keep practicing, little guy
Protecting the gentle giants
Connecting the dots
Feb 18, 2024Sperm whale pod surfacing
Who’s the wisest of them all?
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
A different kind of toucan
Feb 23, 2025Mount Fuji Day
Apr 9, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
Oct 24, 2025Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California, United States
Sequoias of the sea
Jun 27, 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Jan 2, 2024Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Nov 16, 2023World Philosophy Day
Jan 31, 2025Happy International Zebra Day!