The shortest day of the year has arrived with the Southern Hemisphere’s ‘winter solstice’.
The winter solstice marks a seasonal turning point, as the sun begins to set later and later each day until December.
The sun will set around 5pm in large parts of the country. The shortest day will be in Hobart, where the sun will set around 4:40pm.
Here are the approximate daylight forecasts for Australia’s capital cities.
Daylight time around the country
Why is it the shortest day of the year?
The winter solstice occurs when the South Pole is at its maximum distance away from the sun. At the same time, the North Pole is at its closest distance to the sun.
This means the Northern Hemisphere has the most daylight – the summer solstice – at the same time as the Southern Hemisphere has the least.
At the North Pole, the sun remains visible 24 hours a day leading up to and shortly after the summer solstice. Similarly, the South Pole will experience long stretches of darkness around this time of year.
