The journey of 12 months of the year 2023 is about to wrap up and today is the shortest day of the year.

As the southern hemisphere celebrates the start of summer, those north of the equator will experience the shortest day of the year, known as the winter solstice. This year, it falls on Friday, the first day of winter.

The word “solstice” derives from sol, the Latin word for sun, and sistere, which means “to come to a stop or make stand”.

Astronomy says that the nights of December 23 will be the longest night of the ongoing year. On this day, the sun will rise at 6:59 AM and after 10 hours of spreading light it will down at 5:10 PM.

On December 23, the night will long more than 14 hours. On March 21 and 22, 2024, the duration of day and night will be equal.

From June 22 to December 22, the day shortens by 80 seconds each day, during this period the wraps up in 10 hours and then the night stays 14 hours.

Similarly, from December 22 to June 21, the day gets longer by 45 seconds.