December Solstice
21 December 2026 · movable holiday — *Yawn* The longest night is over, and I am heading back!
The December solstice is the moment when Earth's North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere it brings the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In 2026 it falls on 21 December. The exact time changes from year to year, and the date is usually 21 or 22 December. In the Southern Hemisphere the same moment marks the summer solstice.
After this moment the days in the Northern Hemisphere slowly begin to grow longer. For this reason, since ancient times many peoples have seen the solstice as a symbol of returning light and have marked it with fires, lamps and shared meals. A well-known example is Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, whose stones are arranged so that the Sun sets between them at the winter solstice.
For stargazers this is the longest dark night, ideal for watching the stars. The Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, while a full Moon around this time rides high above the horizon.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of luminous dots and lines, like a constellation moving across the sky: a small round sun with a little scarf, yawning sleepily as it drifts along
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Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you