December 22 Is The Shortest Day Of The Year

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens today on Thursday, Dec. 22.

According to timeanddate.com, the December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun, the website said.

The website says December solstice occurs annually on a day between Dec. 20 and 23, depending on the Gregorian calendar. On this date, all places above a latitude of 66.5 degrees north (Arctic Polar Circle) are now in darkness, while locations below a latitude of 66.5 degrees south (Antarctic Polar Circle) receive 24 hours of daylight.

According to the website's Sunrise and Sunset calculator, the Philadelphia region will see approxiamately 9 hours 19 minutes and 57 seconds of daylight today, with sunrise at 7:19 a.m. and sunset at 4:39 p.m.