At 8:03 a.m. MST (7:03 a.m. PST), the Northern Hemisphere officially tilts into winter with the arrival of the winter solstice, the astronomical event that marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.
The winter solstice occurs when Earth’s axial tilt positions the Northern Hemisphere farthest away from the sun. As a result, the sun follows its lowest and shortest path across the sky, bringing minimal daylight to northern regions.
While today represents the darkest day of the year in terms of daylight hours, it also signals a turning point. Beginning tomorrow, daylight will gradually increase each day, offering a subtle but steady return of longer afternoons as winter progresses…