On Saturday, December 21, at 12:21 Moscow time, the winter solstice occurred - the shortest day. In the city of Polyarnye Zori, which is located in the Murmansk region beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun shone for only 17 minutes and 32 seconds.
In Salekhard, the duration of daylight was 2 hours 11 minutes, in St. Petersburg - 5 hours 53 minutes, and in Voronezh - 7 hours 47 minutes.
On Saturday, the sun in the Northern Hemisphere reached its lowest point above the horizon for the entire year. After that, it will remain at this height for several days, which gave the name to the phenomenon. Then its height will gradually increase.
In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is the shortest day and the longest night. In Moscow, on the day of the winter solstice, the sun will rise above the horizon at 8:59 Moscow time and set at 15:58 Moscow time, the duration of daylight will be 6 hours 59 minutes. For comparison, on the day of the summer solstice, June 21, the daylight hours in Moscow last 17 hours 33 minutes.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, which occurs in December in the Northern Hemisphere. From an astronomical point of view, winter begins on this day. This phenomenon is associated with the onset of the polar night in areas located beyond the Arctic Circle. In December, the sun does not rise above the horizon. In Murmansk, the polar night lasts from December 2 to January 10. The peak of this phenomenon occurs on December 21–22.
In the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the winter solstice occurs in different months. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is December, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is July.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year coincide with the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
On the eve, December 20, two flares of the penultimate power level were recorded on the Sun. The first of them lasted 15 minutes, and the second - seven.
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