December 21 is the winter solstice – at least in the northern hemisphere. At the same time, the day marks the beginning of winter on the calendar.
On (today’s) Wednesday, at exactly 22:48, the sun will reach the southernmost point of its apparent orbit. This is when winter begins for astronomers. Wednesday is the shortest day of the year. For astronomers, reaching the southern turning point also marks the beginning of winter. This lasts from Wednesday evening to Monday, March 20, 2023 at 10:24 PM. Then the sun is again vertically above the equator, defining for astronomers the definitive transition from winter to spring.
Meanwhile, winter is the shortest of all seasons, at least from the point of view of astronomers. The earth moves faster because it is closer to the sun. Summer, which is almost 94 days, therefore lasts almost five days longer than winter, which is just under 89 days.
What is the winter solstice?
As the winter solstice falls on December 21, 2022 in the northern hemisphere, the sun reaches the southernmost point of the Tropic of Cancer. In the northern hemisphere, the sun is seen for the shortest time on this day. No day of the year is lower than the horizon at noon. The winter solstice is always December 21 or 22 in the northern hemisphere.
on an elliptical path
The reason for the winter and summer solstices is that the earth is tilted 23.4 degrees along its long axis. This tilt causes the earth to receive more light, sometimes in the north and sometimes in the south, as it revolves around the sun.
The reason why the earliest sunset and the shortest day do not coincide is the equation of time. The equation of time expresses the difference between the theoretical high point of the sun and the actual high point. It’s about seven minutes.
Because the earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit and the earth’s axis is tilted relative to the orbit, the sun’s maximum daily height changes. Here you will find an overview of the calendar and meteorological seasons.
The weather will be like this
On Tuesday, freezing temperatures began in parts of Switzerland. On the Boltigen BE and Visp VS, the coldest local temperatures for 2021 were minus 17.1 and minus 15.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. It was even colder in La Brévine in Neuchâtel Jura, where mercury dropped to minus 23.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, according to SRF Meteo. It was also very cold in the high Alpine valleys. It measured UR minus 22.1 degrees in Andermatt and minus 21.6 degrees at the airport at Samedan GR. But this year it was colder in both places.
After two chilly nights on Wednesday and Thursday, the almost traditional Christmas meltdown for the holiday begins. Cold nights are hardly expected, and during the day meteorologists estimate the maximum temperature to be 7 to 10 degrees. All the information about the current weather in the marquee. (sda)