Sun., Dec. 21, 2008, marks the Winter Solstice, beginning of winter. The winter solstice occurs at the

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instant when the Sun’s position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observers hemisphere.

On the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is getting less direct sunlight than the southern hemisphere.

This is winter for people in the northern hemisphere. During the winter, the Sun is also above the horizon for a shorter time than it is during the summer (the nights are long). The winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.