event | equinox | solstice | equinox | solstice | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
month | March[3] | June[4] | September[5] | December[6] | ||||
year | day | time | day | time | day | time | day | time |
2020 | 20 | 03:50 | 20 | 21:43 | 22 | 13:31 | 21 | 10:03 |
2021 | 20 | 09:37 | 21 | 03:32 | 22 | 19:21 | 21 | 15:59 |
2022 | 20 | 15:33 | 21 | 09:14 | 23 | 01:04 | 21 | 21:48 |
2023 | 20 | 21:25 | 21 | 14:58 | 23 | 06:50 | 22 | 03:28 |
2024 | 20 | 03:07 | 20 | 20:51 | 22 | 12:44 | 21 | 09:20 |
2025 | 20 | 09:02 | 21 | 02:42 | 22 | 18:20 | 21 | 15:03 |
2026 | 20 | 14:46 | 21 | 08:25 | 23 | 00:06 | 21 | 20:50 |
2027 | 20 | 20:25 | 21 | 14:11 | 23 | 06:02 | 22 | 02:43 |
2028 | 20 | 02:17 | 20 | 20:02 | 22 | 11:45 | 21 | 08:20 |
2029 | 20 | 08:01 | 21 | 01:48 | 22 | 17:37 | 21 | 14:14 |
2030 | 20 | 13:51 | 21 | 07:31 | 22 | 23:27 | 21 | 20:09 |
The December solstice, also known as the southern solstice, is the solstice that occurs each December – typically on 21 December, but may vary by one day in either direction according to the Gregorian calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice is the winter solstice (the day with the shortest period of daylight), whilst in the Southern Hemisphere it is the summer solstice (the day with the longest period of daylight). During December solstice, the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, located in the Southern Hemisphere.
The December solstice is often seen as the middle of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the middle of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.