📅 Sky calendar
December solstice
The longest day south of the equator, and the shortest in the north.
- Next one
- 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UTC, in 53 days
- Longest day
- South of the equator
- Shortest day
- North of the equator
- North of the equator
- Winter begins
- South of the equator
- Summer begins
- The Sun
- Right overhead at noon along the Tropic of Capricorn
Did you know?
- The Sun is right overhead at noon along the Tropic of Capricorn, about 23.4 degrees south of the equator.
- Earth is closest to the Sun about two weeks later, in early January. Seasons come from Earth’s tilt, not its distance from the Sun.
- Around this day the Sun does not rise at all north of the Arctic Circle.
More NASA photos of December solsticeStraight from NASA’s image library, in the app
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All of night sky
Orion
The Hunter, with three bright stars in a row for his belt.
Ursa Major
The Great Bear, home of the Big Dipper.
Ursa Minor
The Little Bear, with Polaris at the tip of its tail.
Cassiopeia
A bright W of five stars, named after a boastful queen.
Scorpius
The Scorpion, with red Antares at its heart.
Leo
The Lion, whose head is a backwards question mark of stars.