Google Doodle Friday celebrates the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year – an astronomical phenomenon also known as midwinter. People around the world have celebrated this astronomical milestone for centuries. The word “solstice” comes from the Latin solstitium meaning “sun stands still” when the ‘motion of sun’s path’ stops briefly. The day and time of the solstice vary every year.
The winter solstice, also known as midwinter, is a phenomenon that occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere it is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere its June solstice.
In India, this astronomical event – winter solstice 2018 or December Solstice – will take place at 3:53 am on December 22 IST. At this time of year, each day is about 24 hours, 30 seconds long. It’s because Earth is nearing its closest point to the sun in its elliptical orbit.
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