The morning of Monday 22nd December sees the official arrival of winter.

Shortest Day

On that day the Sun will have reached the most southerly point in its travels across the celestial dome and we will experience our shortest day and longest night of the year.

The sun rises at 0813 on the morning of the 22nd, although, officially, the solstice is at 0713. Sunset is at 1603.

Between sunrise and sunset the maximum elevation of the Sun will be just 15 degrees. In total there will be just seven hours and fifty minutes between sunrise and sunset.

Sun Stands Still

Last year's summer solstice at Stonehenge

The word solstice means 'sun stand still' and for a few days around the 22nd the Sun will appear to rise and set in exactly the same places.

Of course we then have lengthening days to look forward to, even if the worst of the winter weather usually occurs in January and February.

Ancient sites such as Stonehenge and Glastonbury are sure to be inundated with sun worshippers, party goers and the simply curious.

Roman Calendar

The date of the winter solstice can be either the 21st or the 22nd. But in the Roman calendar devised by Julius Caesar in 46 BC the date of the solstice was the 25th. On this day pagans celebrated the festival of the 'Unconquered Sun'.

After the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity, the celebration of Christmas was moved to the day of the Unconquered Sun. Both sun worshippers and Christians saw the solstice and birth of Christ as the transition from darkness into light and many of our Christmas traditions still relate back to pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.