Shorter Days Upon Us As Winter Solstice Begins

Welcome the first day of winter by understanding the winter solstice. The seasonal significance of it is based on the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of the days.

In other words, the days will start to get longer, which makes today the shortest day of the year. In metro Detroit, the sun will rise at 7:58 a.m. and set nine hours and six minutes later – 5:04 p.m.

The sun's position is exactly overhead at high noon on winter solstice so it is above the horizon for the least amount of time. The Earth's yearly trip around the sun is marked by the solstice.

There are four of them  - winter, spring, summer and fall - which indicate the change of season. In winter, the North Pole is tilted away from the sun.

So today, start preparing your winter gear for Michigan's winter wonderland!

Content provided by Oakland University