When Is the Winter Solstice 2025? Everything to Know About the Shortest Day of the Year

It’s almost time for the year’s longest night and shortest day.

The first day of winter, which brings in the colder months and the holiday season, is marked by the winter solstice. But the tilt of the Earth is to blame, not daylight saving time.

You receive more daylight in the winter mornings as clocks “fall back” each fall, but it also means nighttime arrives quicker. In December, the sun sets earlier every day until the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.

The National Weather Service states that the winter solstice happens when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which passes through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil, and northern South Africa and is situated 23.5 degrees south of the equator.

The Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice is scheduled for Sunday, December 21, 2025, at 10:03 a.m. EST.

What occurs at the winter solstice?

The Earth’s tilt away from the sun causes the winter solstice. Every solstice is determined by the degree of solar declination, or “the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon,” according to National Geographic. The Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees on its axis.

The winter solstice and the summer solstice are the two solstices we observe each year.

According to the Smithsonian Science Education Center, the tilt causes the Northern Hemisphere to be at its furthest position from the sun on the winter solstice. More darkness results from this. Additionally, the sun will be at its lowest point in the sky, giving less sunshine and warmth.

But don’t worry, there will be more daylight as the days go following the winter solstice. The summer solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year, approaches as a result.