FOX44 - Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather & Sports12.21.11 The solstice is coming, the solstice is coming!

12.21.11 The solstice is coming, the solstice is coming!

Winter solstice is upon us! The solstice, better known as the first day of winter is tomorrow. The solstice marks the time when the sun is most directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, and the northern hemisphere is most tilted away from the sun. The moment this happens is 5UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on Thursday December 22nd, which is 12:30am EST. (Incidentally, the farther west you travel in time zones, some are actually "celebrating" the solstice later tonight...)

The mark of the winter solstice is generally the shortest day of the year.... kind of. Technically, our sunrise and sunset time separation has been about the same for the whole week. But generally in the few days surrounding the solstice, this is when the days are shortest and the nights are longest.

Our tilt away from the sun allows for a cooler trend here in the northern hemisphere, leading us into the winter months. Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, they are tilted toward the sun and are heading into the long, hot summer season. Another shrimp on the barby, anyone??