The winter solstice occurred Thursday at 10:27 p.m., making Friday the shortest day of the year with about 10 and a half hours of daylight versus the first day of summer, which has almost 14 hours of daylight.
Our seasons are a result of the Earth revolving around the sun and the fact that the Earth is tilted 23.5°. The tilt is the entire reason why we get four seasons.
The winter solstice is when the northern hemisphere is tilted 23.5° "away" from the sun. This is the start of northern winter and southern summer. It is also the day that there is direct sunlight over the Tropic of Cancer, which, not coincidentally is located at the latitude of 23.5°.
180 days from now, that same 23.5° tilt is not tilting the northern hemisphere "toward" the sun on the summer solstice. The vernal (spring) and autumnal (fall) equinoxes are the two days when there is direct sunlight over the equator because the 23.5° tilt is neither tilted toward nor away from the sun.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
