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Winter solstice marks official start to astronomical winter on Saturday

On this day, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, your shadow is the longest and daylight is the shortest.

Sam Augeri

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Dec 20, 2024, 6:19 PM

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The winter solstice happens Saturday, Dec. 21, and it's the official start to astronomical winter.

On this day, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, your shadow is the longest and daylight is the shortest.

It's all because of Earth's tilted axis. On the winter solstice, Earth is tilted as far away from the sun as possible.

The sun takes its lowest path in the sky close to the horizon and it's the coldest time of the year.

You may also notice how bad sun glare can be this time of the year, with the low sun angle.

If you step outside and look at your shadow at noon, it will be the longest of the year.

You can mark it down and track it to see how your shadow grows and shrinks through the year as the sun angle changes.

The first day of winter has the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Sunrise is 7:13 a.m. and sunset is 4:28 p.m.

The best thing about the first day of winter is that our days start to grow longer.

Stay warm and enjoy the season!

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