When is the shortest day of the year?

The event, which signifies the culmination of darker nights, marks the annual point of the shortest day of the year.

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With the clocks having gone back in October, it is set to be dark so early this next fortnight that schools will still be in classes when the night draws in.

And unfortunately, Storm Bram will likely compound the darkness with wet and windy weather this week, with the Met Office having listed a warning.

Thankfully, there is not long to wait until Christmas!

What is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice is when the sun appears to stand still (sol, sistere, in Latin, therefore Solstice in English) above the Tropic of Capricorn.

This is as far south as the rays reach annually and gives the southern hemisphere its longest day, and the northern hemisphere its shortest.

The relative position of the sun above the Earth will then gradually move north towards the Equator, before coming into the northern part of the world from March, the spring equinox.

When is the shortest day of the year?

The shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, will fall on Sunday, December 21, in 2025 in the UK.

The sun will rise and fall at different times depending where you are in the UK, but the sunrise will be around 8.15am in the south west and 9am in the northern parts of Scotland.

After that, during Christmas week, the days will get ever so slightly longer.

In the southern hemisphere, this will be the longest day - although there is a more pronounced difference in the length of days depending how far north or south you go.

At the Equator, the difference in length of days is negligible, although in Iceland, for example, there can be several hours more daylight in the summer compared to the winter.