Winter solstice 21 Dec 2025

Winter solstice

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
21 Dec 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
21 Dec 2024Burning the Clocks

More Desktop Wallpapers:

4 Apr 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
27 Feb 2024International Polar Bear Day
25 Aug 2025Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
10 Jun 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
11 Oct 2024Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
26 Oct 2025British Summer Time ends
5 Jul 2025Pride in London
Kick-off in Qatar
How can we help at-risk animals?
23 Jan 2025Sundance Film Festival
15 Mar 2026Mothering Sunday
13 Nov 2025Quiver trees, Keetmanshoop, Namibia
23 Oct 2024Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
12 Mar 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
King of the ocean
31 Jan 2026International Zebra Day
World Population Day
21 Feb 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Just a couple of know-it-owls
8 Feb 2024Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
Autumn on Windermere
Happy Boxing Day!
12 Oct 2025Village of Saranac Lake, New York, United States
A little bird told me...
5 Oct 2023World Teachers Day
The buffet is open
8 Dec 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy
Festival fever
16 Sep 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
23 Oct 2023Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania