What is the winter solstice? Time to go star gazing!
The word Solstice or solstitium in Latin means 'Sun standing still'
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and the start of the astronomical winter. The solstice is the moment the north pole is tilted furthest away from the sun. This year in England the sun will set at 16:28pm
The date of the solstice can vary but always falls between the 20th and 23rd of December. This year it will occur on Wednesday 21st December.
The winter solstice has been celebrated by pagans for thousands of years and every year hundreds of people flock to Stonehenge to celebrate. On both the winter and summer solstices entry to Stonehenge is free.
After the solstice the days begin to get longer until the summer solstice in June.