The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, or the moment when the sun reaches its most southerly declination. The countdown tool below tracks the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the next solstice.
When is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice typically falls on December 21st or 22nd, depending on the year and your timezone. The exact moment varies because the Earth's orbit isn't perfectly synchronized with the calendar. The solstice can occur at any time of day.
The word "solstice" comes from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). At the solstice, the sun appears to pause in its southward journey before reversing course, a phenomenon that cultures have long tracked with remarkable precision at sites like Newgrange and Stonehenge.
Countdown features
- Live countdown – Days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the solstice
- Visual progress bar – See how far through the wait you are
- Automatic year rollover – After each solstice passes, it targets the next one
- Timezone detection – Attempts to show the countdown in your local time
The astronomy of winter solstice
On the winter solstice, the sun rises at its most southeastern point and sets at its most southwestern. If you're at 40°N latitude (roughly New York City or Madrid), you'll get less than 9.5 hours of daylight... compared to over 15 hours at the summer solstice.
The solstice also marks the sun's lowest arc across the sky, casting the longest shadows of the year at solar noon. Check my sun angle calculator to see the elevation at your location.
