Winter solstice Dec 21, 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
Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec 21, 2024Happy winter solstice!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

We’ve identified these ‘flying objects’
Jul 20, 2024International Moon Day
Remembering the Mahatma
The rainbow bridge
A beacon in the golden light
Jul 2, 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
A blue-tiful island
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Feb 16, 2024Female pyrrhuloxia in Texas, USA
Little Island, Big Sea
Sep 19, 2025Thousand Islands region, St. Lawrence River, USA-Canada border
Apr 17, 2025Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
May 4, 2024Star Wars Day
Solo on the savannah
Farewell, Ma’am
Mar 16, 2025Baby giant panda, China
Where is this hidden waterfall?
Where can you find this cute creature?
Jun 2, 2025Telangana Day
Feb 6, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Perfect, pastoral Palouse
Sep 14, 2024Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
Whats so funny?
Nov 20, 2023Gathering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Feb 3, 2024Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute Basilica, Venice, Italy
Dec 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Aug 5, 2025Tide pools in La Jolla, California, United States
As curious about you as you are about them
Black sands in a tropical paradise
What are these colorful insects?