Winter solstice Dec 21, 2025

Winter solstice

Ever felt as if the night just wouldn"t end? That"s the winter solstice working its magic. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring around December 21 or 22. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same happens around June 21 or 22. It marks the moment when one of Earth"s poles tilts farthest from the sun. From that instant, daylight slowly begins to lengthen again.

© Schon/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Rainbow around the sun
Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec 21, 2024Happy winter solstice!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 30, 2024Male white rhinoceroses, Lake Nakuru, Kenya
A ghost on the mountain
Oct 24, 2023Vijayadashami
Southern tip of a northern isle
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia
Aug 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
Dec 12, 2024Poinsettia
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
The ‘eighth wonder’?
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
Jul 29, 2025International Tiger Day
Nov 19, 2023Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
Jan 4, 2025Bản Giốc – Detian Falls, Vietnam
A cantilevered window to the past
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Oct 7, 2023Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska
Hovering over harmonious horticulture
Jul 30, 2025Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Feb 7, 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
Nov 29, 2023New York City, USA
Jan 26, 2025Republic Day
Dec 12, 2023Red poinsettia
Jun 4, 2025Cala Luna beach, Sardinia, Italy
Apr 10, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Nov 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Nov 20, 2023Gathering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA