The winter solstice December 22 marks the shortest day of the year. A solstice occurs twice a year, when the sun’s position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its farthest points north and south from the celestial equator. According to the Meteorology Department on December 22, with sunrise at 7:06am and sunset at 5:07pm, the day would be 10.1 hours long. Henceforth, the days would start lengthening and nights shortening form December 23. In 2011, the winter solstice occurs at 12:30am EST on December 22.
As the first day of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice marks the time at which the sun shines directly overhead at 23.5 degrees south latitude. With the North Pole tilted away from the sun, locations north of the equator see the sun take its lowest and shortest path across the southern sky.