The moment of the solstice where you are
The solstice is one instant for the whole planet - 20:50 UTC on Monday 21 December 2026 - so the clock time depends on where you read it, and east of Greenwich it can already be the next day.
| City | Local date and time | Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Monday 21 December, 12:50 | UTC-8 |
| Denver | Monday 21 December, 13:50 | UTC-7 |
| Chicago | Monday 21 December, 14:50 | UTC-6 |
| New York | Monday 21 December, 15:50 | UTC-5 |
| Sao Paulo | Monday 21 December, 17:50 | UTC-3 |
| London | Monday 21 December, 20:50 | UTC+0 |
| Paris | Monday 21 December, 21:50 | UTC+1 |
| Cairo | Monday 21 December, 22:50 | UTC+2 |
| Moscow | Monday 21 December, 23:50 | UTC+3 |
| Dubai | Tuesday 22 December, 00:50 | UTC+4 |
| Delhi | Tuesday 22 December, 02:20 | UTC+5:30 |
| Bangkok | Tuesday 22 December, 03:50 | UTC+7 |
| Beijing | Tuesday 22 December, 04:50 | UTC+8 |
| Tokyo | Tuesday 22 December, 05:50 | UTC+9 |
| Sydney | Tuesday 22 December, 07:50 | UTC+11 |
| Auckland | Tuesday 22 December, 09:50 | UTC+13 |
The shortest day - and the longest
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the day of the solstice, from the Arctic to the far south. North of the equator the day shrinks the further north you go, and beyond the Arctic Circle the sun does not rise at all; south of the equator it is the longest day of the year. The last column compares it with 21 June.
| City | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Noon sun | Against 21 June |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tromso | polar night | – | 0 h 00 min | -3.1° | −24 h 00 min |
| Reykjavik | 11:22 | 15:29 | 4 h 07 min | 2.4° | −17 h 02 min |
| Helsinki | 09:24 | 15:13 | 5 h 49 min | 6.4° | −13 h 07 min |
| Oslo | 09:18 | 15:12 | 5 h 54 min | 6.6° | −12 h 56 min |
| Stockholm | 08:43 | 14:48 | 6 h 05 min | 7.2° | −12 h 33 min |
| Edinburgh | 08:42 | 15:40 | 6 h 58 min | 10.6° | −10 h 39 min |
| Moscow | 08:57 | 15:58 | 7 h 00 min | 10.8° | −10 h 33 min |
| Copenhagen | 08:37 | 15:38 | 7 h 01 min | 10.9° | −10 h 31 min |
| Dublin | 08:38 | 16:08 | 7 h 30 min | 13.2° | −9 h 31 min |
| Berlin | 08:15 | 15:54 | 7 h 39 min | 14.0° | −9 h 11 min |
| Amsterdam | 08:48 | 16:29 | 7 h 41 min | 14.2° | −9 h 08 min |
| Warsaw | 07:43 | 15:25 | 7 h 42 min | 14.3° | −9 h 05 min |
| London | 08:04 | 15:53 | 7 h 50 min | 15.1° | −8 h 49 min |
| Vancouver | 08:05 | 16:16 | 8 h 11 min | 17.3° | −8 h 04 min |
| Paris | 08:41 | 16:56 | 8 h 15 min | 17.7° | −7 h 56 min |
| Seattle | 07:55 | 16:20 | 8 h 26 min | 19.0° | −7 h 34 min |
| Montreal | 07:31 | 16:14 | 8 h 42 min | 21.1° | −6 h 59 min |
| Toronto | 07:48 | 16:44 | 8 h 56 min | 22.9° | −6 h 31 min |
| Rome | 07:34 | 16:42 | 9 h 08 min | 24.7° | −6 h 06 min |
| Chicago | 07:15 | 16:23 | 9 h 08 min | 24.7° | −6 h 06 min |
| New York | 07:17 | 16:32 | 9 h 15 min | 25.8° | −5 h 50 min |
| Madrid | 08:34 | 17:51 | 9 h 17 min | 26.1° | −5 h 47 min |
| Beijing | 07:33 | 16:53 | 9 h 20 min | 26.7° | −5 h 40 min |
| Washington, D.C. | 07:23 | 16:49 | 9 h 26 min | 27.7° | −5 h 28 min |
| Tokyo | 06:48 | 16:32 | 9 h 45 min | 30.9° | −4 h 50 min |
| Los Angeles | 06:55 | 16:48 | 9 h 53 min | 32.5° | −4 h 33 min |
| Cairo | 06:47 | 16:59 | 10 h 13 min | 36.5° | −3 h 52 min |
| Delhi | 07:10 | 17:29 | 10 h 19 min | 37.9° | −3 h 39 min |
| Dubai | 07:00 | 17:35 | 10 h 34 min | 41.4° | −3 h 08 min |
| Hong Kong | 06:59 | 17:45 | 10 h 46 min | 44.2° | −2 h 44 min |
| Mexico City | 07:06 | 18:04 | 10 h 58 min | 47.1° | −2 h 21 min |
| Mumbai | 07:07 | 18:06 | 10 h 59 min | 47.5° | −2 h 18 min |
| Bangkok | 06:37 | 17:56 | 11 h 19 min | 52.8° | −1 h 37 min |
| Singapore | 07:02 | 19:05 | 12 h 03 min | 65.2° | −9 min |
| Nairobi | 06:25 | 18:37 | 12 h 12 min | 67.9° | +9 min |
| Lima | 05:41 | 18:31 | 12 h 50 min | 78.6° | +1 h 25 min |
| Rio de Janeiro | 05:04 | 18:37 | 13 h 33 min | 89.5° | +2 h 49 min |
| Johannesburg | 05:12 | 18:59 | 13 h 47 min | 87.2° | +3 h 17 min |
| Sydney | 05:41 | 20:06 | 14 h 25 min | 79.6° | +4 h 31 min |
| Cape Town | 05:32 | 19:57 | 14 h 25 min | 79.5° | +4 h 32 min |
| Buenos Aires | 05:37 | 20:06 | 14 h 29 min | 78.8° | +4 h 39 min |
| Auckland | 05:58 | 20:40 | 14 h 42 min | 76.6° | +5 h 04 min |
What happens at the solstice
- At 20:50 UTC the noon sun stands straight overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn, 23.44° S - as far south as it ever goes. From there it turns north again, and north of the equator the days begin to lengthen.
- North of the Arctic Circle, 66.56° N, the sun does not rise on the solstice at all: in Tromso it stays below the horizon from 28 November to 14 January.
- The solstice is the shortest day, but not the earliest sunset or the latest sunrise. In London the earliest sunset is on 12 December at 15:51 and the latest sunrise on 30 December at 08:06; in New York on 8 December and 4 January. Solar noon drifts later through December, and the evenings start to draw out before the mornings do.
- The days lengthen slowly at first: in London the day is only 5 minutes longer on 31 December than on the solstice, and 1 h 17 min longer by the end of January.
- South of the equator this is the summer solstice and the longest day: 14 h 25 min in Sydney, 14 h 25 min in Cape Town and 14 h 29 min in Buenos Aires. South of the Antarctic Circle the sun does not set at all.
- Winter is not cold because the sun is far away - the Earth is closest to it in early January. It is the low sun and the short day: at noon on the solstice the sun climbs only 15.1° in London and 25.8° in New York.
Every city has its own page with the whole year: sun position by city, or drag the pin on the sun position map to any spot on Earth and set the date to the solstice.
After the solstice: when the days start getting longer – the earliest sunset, the latest sunrise and when it stays light until 5 pm, city by city.
The next solstices and equinoxes
| Year | March equinox | June solstice | September equinox | December solstice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 Mar 14:46 | 21 Jun 08:25 | 23 Sep 00:06 | 21 Dec 20:50 |
| 2027 | 20 Mar 20:25 | 21 Jun 14:11 | 23 Sep 06:01 | 22 Dec 02:42 |
| 2028 | 20 Mar 02:17 | 20 Jun 20:02 | 22 Sep 11:45 | 21 Dec 08:20 |
| 2029 | 20 Mar 08:02 | 21 Jun 01:48 | 22 Sep 17:38 | 21 Dec 14:14 |
| 2030 | 20 Mar 13:52 | 21 Jun 07:31 | 22 Sep 23:27 | 21 Dec 20:10 |
Questions
Winter solstice questions
When is the winter solstice in 2026?
On Monday 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UTC. That is Monday 21 December, 15:50 in New York, Monday 21 December, 20:50 in London and Tuesday 22 December, 07:50 in Sydney.
Is the winter solstice the shortest and darkest day of the year?
North of the equator it is the shortest day: on the solstice the day lasts 7 h 50 min in London and 9 h 15 min in New York. The darkest afternoon comes a little earlier and the darkest morning a little later, though - in London the earliest sunset is on 12 December and the latest sunrise on 30 December.
Why is the winter solstice not always on 21 December?
Because the calendar year and the solar year do not quite match: the solstice comes about six hours later each year until a leap day pulls it back, so it falls between 20 and 23 December. In UTC it is on 21 December 2026, 22 December 2027, 21 December 2028, 21 December 2029 and 21 December 2030.
Is it the winter solstice in Australia too?
No. South of the equator the December solstice is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year: 14 h 25 min in Sydney. The winter solstice there is the June one, on Tuesday 22 June 2027.
When do the days start getting longer?
Straight after the solstice, but slowly: in London the day is only 5 minutes longer on 31 December than on the solstice, and 1 h 17 min longer by the end of January. The sunsets are already getting later before the solstice, from the earliest sunset on 12 December in London.
Where does the sun not rise on the winter solstice?
Anywhere north of the Arctic Circle, 66.56° N: the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, northern Alaska and Canada, and most of Greenland. In Tromso the polar night lasts 48 days.