Today will be the longest night of the year. About 16 hours. Whereas the day is only 8 hours. This is called winter solstice.
In the north, it’s the shortest day and the longest night of the year due to winter solstice. On Thursday, India, along with several other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, will experience the shortest day and consequently the longest night of the year.
This is the time when the sun’s rays remain on the earth for a very short time. Today the distance of the Earth from the Sun increases. Moonlight remains on Earth for a long time. The winter solstice occurs because the Earth is tilted about 23.4 degrees as it rotates on its axis. Due to tilt, each hemisphere receives different amounts of sunlight throughout the year.
The effect is an artifact brought about by the change of the seasons, which can be readily explained today by astronomers.
In winter the Northern Hemisphere will officially arrive tonight with the rays of the sun shining directly down on the Tropic of Capricorn — latitude 23.43-degrees south — at 10:27 p.m.
Earth moves around the sun once each year, there comes a time when the sun shines more on the Northern Hemisphere
This astronomical phenomenon, which in 2023 will occur on December 21, is recognised as the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter solstice north of the equator and summer solstice south of it signals the official beginning of a new season.