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, 2023December solstice
Dec. 21, 2024Happy winter solstice!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 31, 2026Building detail of Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Jun. 25, 2024Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Dec. 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
The ancient home of the Minoans
Apr. 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Oct. 20, 2024International Sloth Day
Feb. 11, 2026Death Valley National Park, California, United States
Oct. 25, 2025Martimoaapa Mire Reserve, Finland
Sep. 24, 2023World Rivers Day
Colours of spring
Jun. 4, 2025Cala Luna beach, Sardinia, Italy
Dec. 30, 2025Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan
Nov. 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Aug 30, 2026International Whale Shark Day
Mar. 1, 2026Snowy owl near the Canadian Rockies
Where buffalo roam
Where is this majestic museum?
Nov. 22, 2025Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan, China
Nov. 10, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
May 13, 2026Arch and Milky Way, Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada, California, USA
A sky full of stars
Sep. 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Nov. 27, 2023Río Negro, Amazon basin, Brazil
Oct. 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Blurring the lines with wearable art
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
Feb. 6, 20262026 Winter Olympics
A mountaintop cultural wonder
May 17, 2024Endangered Species Day
Jul. 1, 2025Happy Canada Day!