Sky event · 21 December 2026
The December solstice of 2026
The December solstice falls at 21 December 2026, 20:50 UT, the same instant everywhere: the Sun stands overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn, 23.44° south, as far south as it goes. It is the longest day of the year south of the equator and the shortest north of it.
Sets the map's clock to 21 December 2026, 21:00 UT and flies to the Earth.
The facts
- Solstice, computed
- 21 December 2026, 20:50 UT
- Sun overhead at noon
- 23.44° S, the Tropic of Capricorn
From your place
A solstice is one instant for the whole Earth; the map's Tonight view gives your own sunrise and sunset for that day.
What happens
The Earth's axis is tilted 23.4° to its orbit. At a solstice the pole of one hemisphere leans most towards the Sun: there the Sun climbs highest at noon and stays up longest, and inside the polar circle it does not set at all, while the other hemisphere has its shortest day and, inside its polar circle, a day the Sun does not rise. After it the days begin to shorten again on one side and lengthen on the other.
Sources
- Computed here with Astronomy Engine (Seasons: the instant the Sun's apparent longitude is 90 or 270 degrees), read 8 November 2026
Measured or computed? The instant of the solstice is computed with Astronomy Engine, the same library the map uses. Nothing on this page is typed in.
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