in the northern hemisphere the day begins to increase - December 21-22. This is due to the fact that at this time the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the Sun is the greatest, and the Northern Hemisphere is illuminated the least.

Accordingly, in the summer of June 20 or 21, the Earth's axis again assumes the greatest inclination, but at this moment the Northern Hemisphere is illuminated most fully - the summer solstice, the longest day.

In the southern hemisphere, respectively, the opposite is illuminated: June 20-21 is the winter solstice, December 21-22 is the summer solstice.

Exact date or not?

It is customary to consider the date when the day begins to increase, December 22. All calendars celebrate it as the Day winter solstice. But to be absolutely accurate and take into account all the modern research of astronomers and physicists, we will have to state such a fact. The position of the solar luminary for several days before the solstice and after does not change its inclination at all. And only 2-3 days after the solstice, it can be stated that the time has come when daylight begins to increase.

So if you follow scientific research, then the answer to the question of when the day will begin to increase will be this - December 24-25. It is from this period that the nights become a little shorter, and the daylight hours become longer and longer. But at the household level, information has firmly settled that the time when daylight begins to increase falls on December 22.

Longitude of the day

The length of the day depends on the geographical latitude of the place and on the declination of the Sun. At the earth's equator, it is approximately constant and is usually a little more than 12 hours; deviations from the exact value are due to the very definition of sunrise and sunset, since sunrise and sunset are traditionally considered the moment the upper edge of the solar disk crosses the visible horizon, and not the moment the center of the Sun crosses the true horizon. In addition, refraction also affects the length of the day. sun rays, and the inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of the ecliptic determines fluctuations in the longitude of the day, including at the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, the longitude of the day is more than 12 hours from the end of March to the end of September, and less than 12 hours from the end of September to the end of March, in the Southern - on the contrary.

The greatest longitude of a day occurs in a day summer solstice(about June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, about December 22 in the Southern Hemisphere), and the smallest - on the day of the winter solstice (about December 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, about June 22 in the Southern Hemisphere).

On the days of the equinoxes (around March 21 and around September 23) everywhere on Earth the day is somewhat longer than the night, for the same reason that the day at the equator is longer than 12 hours.

Within the polar circles, the longitude of the day in summer can exceed 24 hours (polar day), and at the poles the day lasts half a year, plus an amendment for the reason mentioned twice above.

Between the Pole and the line of the Arctic Circle, the longitude of day / night varies according to a non-linear relationship, however, at polar degrees, the dependence breaks down, the difference is slightly noticeable due to the almost always unstable state of the upper atmosphere and, as a result, its oscillating refraction - therefore, to accurately determine the pole with only visual observations in the region of the light solstice (summer in the Arctic and winter in the Antarctic) are possible only with a significant error.

Maximum day length on other planets

In this case, the units of Earth time are used:

• Mercury - about 60 days
• Venus - 243 days
• Mars - 24 hours 39 minutes 35.24409 seconds (Martian "sol")
• Jupiter - 9 hours
• Saturn - about 10 hours
• Uranus - about 13 hours
• Neptune - about 15 hours

At the end of December 2017, namely on the 21st, exactly at 17:28 Moscow time was the day of the winter solstice. This day marks the beginning of the winter solstice, and also indicates the beginning of the "astronomical winter" and the change in the zodiac constellation, that is, the Sun begins to turn towards spring. The solar disk seems to freeze in place for about three days, so the night from December 21 to 22 is the longest of the year.

After the solstice period, our luminary begins to consistently rise above the horizon, adding minutes to the daylight hours. On December 21, 2017, the daylight hours lasted almost 7 hours, but by the end of the year, 6 minutes had already been added to it. Such astronomical changes are typical for the northern hemisphere of our planet, while in the southern hemisphere, the period of the summer solstice begins.

Astronomical science explains this phenomenon by the fact that during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere of our planet, the sun appears above the horizon for a shorter amount of time. And at the time when the sun will pass through the southernmost point of the ecliptic - there will be an exact time of the winter solstice. The rate of increase in daylight depends solely on the angle of inclination of the Sun and the speed of rotation of the celestial body.

How much the day has increased since December 22, 2017, you can find out by ancient signs

For thousands of years, for all the peoples of our planet, the period of the winter solstice has been of great importance. Our ancestors lived in harmony with nature and tried to organize their lives in accordance with natural cycles. Ancient people worshiped the Sun, because they understood that there would be no light and heat of life on Earth.

In Russian folk art there are many proverbs and signs associated with this day:

• if you start a new business on the day of the solstice, then it will be successful;
• If the weather is fine on the winter solstice, then New Year she will be the same;
• if frost is observed on this day, then the grain harvest this year will be rich;
• if the weather is windy, fruit trees will give a good harvest;
• if the weather is rainy, then in early spring there will be many floods.

The ancient Slavs on the day of the winter solstice celebrated the pagan New Year, which was associated with the ancient God - Kolyada. European residents associated this day with the beginning of a new life and the renewal of nature. And the inhabitants of ancient Scotland had a tradition of throwing an unusual sun wheel, which they called the "solstice".

How much has the day increased since December 22, 2017, the first mentions on the day of the winter solstice in the calendar

The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire were the first to determine the winter solstice in their calendar. In total, the old Chinese calendar determined 24 seasons in a year.

In ancient China, they believed that from that moment the male force of nature wakes up and a new life cycle begins. The winter solstice was considered lucky, so on this day the ancients held a variety of celebrations. The tradition of celebrating the winter solstice among Chinese residents has survived to this day.

In ancient India, this day was celebrated in the Hindu and Sikh communities, and they called it Sankranti. At night, on the eve of the celebration, the locals lit many bonfires. They symbolized the warmth of the heavenly body, which began to heat the earth at the end of the winter frosts.

How much has the day increased since December 22, 2017, why are the clock hands moving

Nowadays, changes in the length of daylight hours are associated with economic feasibility. Many countries move clock hands forward or backward one hour at certain phases of daylight hours to save electrical energy. But practice recent years shows that such external interference in natural astronomical processes leads to sad consequences.

Countries that implement the clock change experiment save only 1% of electricity, while increasing the number of injuries among the population, suicides, the number of chronic diseases, as well as mass conflict situations. The human body constantly reacts to natural and astronomical changes and tries to adapt to them. With the constant translation of the clock hands, the usual daily routine changes and this causes disturbances in the functioning of all body systems.

Today, many states have listened to statistics and expert opinions. They categorically refused to carry out experiments with the transfer of clocks, which do not save energy resources in any way, but only harm the health of the entire population.

All living organisms need and lack sunlight during the seasons when days are short and nights are long. Any cycle has critical points of changing the nature of the cycle. In the cycle of changing the length of daylight hours are the days of the equinox (autumn and spring, a distinctive feature of which is that the length of day and night is equalized), the days of the solstice (summer with the longest and winter with the shortest daylight hours).

When is daylight added?

The hour and day of each critical point shifts depending on the phases of the moon and leap shifts. In 2015, the day of the winter solstice GMT in the northern hemisphere of our planet begins at 4 o'clock. 48 min., in 2016 December 21 at 10 a.m. 44 min., in 2017 December 21 at 16:00 28 min. During these days and hours, the Sun crosses the farthest point of the Earth's elliptical orbit, as a result of which the duration of daylight hours is the shortest. In the southern hemisphere of the Earth, the summer solstice begins at this time.

The phase of increasing daylight hours begins on the day of the winter solstice and ends on the day of the summer solstice. The intensity of the increase in daylight depends on the angle of declination of the Sun and the speed of its rotation. Practically, the day in the northern hemisphere begins to increase on 24-25.12 for several minutes a day, then the intensity of the increase in the length of the day increases. In 2016 March 20 at 4 o'clock. 30 minutes. the length of the day aligns with the length of the night, reaching the second critical point of the cycle - the spring day, reaching 09/22/2016 at 14:00. 21 min. days autumn equinox, i.e. balancing the length of day and night. The cycle of change in the length of the day ends at the new point of the winter solstice on December 21, 2016, having reached a minimum of the day length.

The critical points of the cycle are the actual characteristic points of the change of seasons. These days were celebrated ancient holidays. December 20 was considered the last day of autumn, and on December 21 the Solstice and Kolyaden were celebrated - the day of the beginning of winter, the new year and the birth of the god Kolyada, who embodied the Sun. Christmas time was celebrated for 21 days with the decoration of the huts with dolls of the god Veles (the current Santa Claus) and the Snow Maiden and the performance of carols. On the magical days of Christmas time, people predicted crops, the dates of wars and weddings, and commemorated the dead. The Germanic tribes celebrated Yule (New Year). Other critical days of the daylight cycle have also been associated with public holidays, because ancient farmers and pastoralists were completely dependent on the changing phases of natural cycles.

Video that explains everything in detail

Today, they try to link the change in the length of daylight hours with economic feasibility - the subjective translation of the clock hands 1 hour forward or backward in the corresponding phases of the daylight cycle to save electricity. As the practice of the last two decades has shown, subjective interference in natural astronomical processes leads to deplorable results. The 1% savings in electricity costs the countries implementing this experiment a massive increase in the number of injuries, suicides, exacerbation of chronic diseases, conflict situations and other equinoxes. Starting from this point, the length of the day continues to increase, but the intensity of the increase gradually decreases. On June 20, 2016 at 22:34, the Sun crosses the closest point of the Earth's elliptical orbit, the length of the day reaches the 3rd critical point of the cycle - for the summer solstice with the maximum length of the day. Starting from this point, the length of the day begins to decrease,

health disorders caused by a violation of the daily regimen. Most countries, based on statistical data and the conclusions of scientists, abandoned the dubious experiment, Ukraine is not among them yet. It remains to be hoped that the transfer of Ukraine to winter time in 2015 will complete this cycle of experiments that are harmful to public health.

December 21 (the date is indicated for 2016) is the day of the winter solstice. The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is at its minimum or maximum. There are two solstices in a year - winter and summer. The solstice is one of the two days of the year when the height of the sun above the horizon at noon is at its minimum or maximum. There are two solstices in a year - winter and summer. On the winter solstice, the sun rises to its lowest point on the horizon.

In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, which is when the shortest day and longest night occur. The moment of the solstice shifts every year, since the duration of the solar year does not coincide with calendar time.

In 2016, the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 13.45 Moscow time

During the winter solstice, the sun does not rise at all above a latitude of 66.5 degrees - only twilight at these latitudes indicates that it is somewhere below the horizon. At the North Pole of the Earth, not only the Sun is not visible, but also twilight, and the location of the luminary can only be recognized by the constellations. On December 21, the sun crosses the 18 hour meridian and begins to rise up the ecliptic, beginning its journey to the vernal equinox when it crosses the celestial equator.

Day of the winter solstice among the ancient Slavs

In the 16th century in Russia, an interesting ritual was associated with the winter solstice. The bell warden of the Moscow cathedral, who was responsible for the chiming of the clock, came to bow to the tsar. He reported that from now on the sun turned to summer, the day is added, and the night is reduced. For this good news, the king rewarded the headman with money.

The ancient Slavs celebrated the pagan New Year on the day of the winter solstice, it was associated with the deity Kolyada. The main attribute of the festival was a bonfire, depicting and invoking the light of the sun, which, after the longest night of the year, had to rise higher and higher. The ritual New Year's cake - a loaf - also resembled the sun in shape.

The day of pagan veneration of Karachun (the second name of Chernobog) falls on the day of the winter solstice (celebrated depending on the year from December 19 to 22) - the shortest day of the year and one of the coldest days of winter. It was believed that on this day the formidable Karachun, the deity of death, the underground god who commands frost, an evil spirit, takes his power. The ancient Slavs believed that he commands winter and frost and shortens the daylight hours.

The servants of the formidable Karachun are rod bears, in which snowstorms turn around, and blizzards-wolves. It was believed that, according to the bear's desire, the icy winter lasts: the bear will turn in his lair on the other side, which means that winter has exactly half the way to spring. Hence the saying: "At the Solstice, the bear in the den turns from one side to the other." Among the people, the concept of "karachun" in the sense of death, death is still used. They say, for example: “a karachun came to him”, “wait for a karachun”, “ask a karachun”, “grabbed a karachun”. On the other hand, the word "karachit" can have the following meanings - backing backwards, crawling, "scrambled" - writhed, crumpled. Perhaps Karachun was called that precisely because he, as it were, forced the daytime to go in the opposite direction, back away, crawl, giving way to the night.

Gradually, in the minds of the people, Karachun became close to Frost, who fetters the earth with cold, as if plunging it into a mortal sleep. This is a more harmless image than the harsh Karachun. Frost is simply the master of winter cold.

Winter Solstice in Other Nations

On the day of the winter solstice in Scotland it was customary to launch the sun wheel - "solstice". The barrel was smeared with burning tar and let down the street. The wheel is a symbol of the sun, the spokes of the wheel resembled rays, the rotation of the spokes during movement made the wheel alive and looked like a luminary.

The winter solstice was determined before all other seasons in China (there are 24 seasons in the Chinese calendar). AT ancient China it was believed that from that time the male force of nature rises and a new cycle begins. The winter solstice was considered a happy day worthy of celebration. On this day, everyone - from the emperor to the commoner - went on vacation.

The army was brought into a state of waiting for orders, border fortresses and trading shops were closed, people went to visit each other, gave each other gifts.

The Chinese made sacrifices to the god of Heaven and ancestors, and also ate porridge made from beans and sticky rice to protect themselves from evil spirits and diseases. Until now, the winter solstice is considered one of the traditional Chinese holidays.

In India, the winter solstice - Sankranti - is celebrated in Hindu and Sikh communities, where bonfires are lit on the night before the celebration, the heat of which symbolizes the warmth of the sun, which begins to warm the earth after the winter cold.

The calendar of Russian folk signs will take December 21 (December 8, old style) - Anfisa Needlewoman

On Anfisa, all girls in Russia were supposed to do needlework: spin, weave, sew, embroider. It was desirable to do this alone, and if it didn’t work out or didn’t want to retire, it was necessary to conduct special rituals from damage.

A girl sews on Anfisa, but an extra eye while sewing is for the evil eye, our ancestors said and advised young needlewomen to wrap a silk thread around their wrists so as not to prick their fingers with a needle. The same rite protected from yawning and hiccups.

The embroidery itself also had magic power, in which various symbols were often encrypted. So, rhombuses on towels meant fertility; round rosettes and cruciform figures on clothes protected its owner from misfortunes. In traditional embroidery patterns, there are also images of the sun, trees, birds, personifying vitality nature. Our ancestors believed in their strength, believing that they would bring prosperity and prosperity to the house.

The calendar of Russian folk signs will take on December 22 (December 9, according to the old style) - Anna Zimnyaya. Anna Dark. The conception of Saint Anne.

The Church celebrates not only birth, but also conception. From the feast of the Conception of Anna, winter begins: autumn ends, winter begins. The beginning of a real harsh winter. In the meantime (lace) on the trees at the Conception of Anna for the harvest. If the snow rolls down to the hedge - a bad summer, and if there is a gap - a fruitful one. December 22 is the shortest day of the year, the day of the solstice.

On the Conception of Anna, pregnant women have a strict fast (on other days, pregnant women are exempted from fasting), avoid any quarrels and troubles, do not catch the eye of the crippled and disabled; you can not kindle a fire, knit, embroider and take on any work, so as not to accidentally harm the unborn child. People who are knowledgeable in these matters assure that the fire kindled on this day can leave a red mark on the body of the child, tangled threads twist his umbilical cord, and the wretched, ugly, seen by his mother, can pass on their injuries to the child. At the Conception, the wolves converge, and after Epiphany they scatter.

The memory of St. Anna, the parent of Mary, the future Mother of God, is celebrated twice a year: on August 7, a service is held in churches on the assumption of Anna, her death. December 22 - the day of the winter equinox, in the south of Russia is considered the beginning of winter. A change is also noticed in the weather: “Sun for summer, winter for frost.” On this morning, worship in churches is held more solemnly than on ordinary days, for December 22 is the day "when the Most Holy Theotokos is conceived."

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2017

• spring equinox - March 2010:29
• summer solstice - 21 June 04:24
• autumnal equinox - 22 September 20:02
• winter solstice - 21 December 16:28

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2018

• spring equinox - 20 March 16:15
• summer solstice - 21 June 10:07
• autumnal equinox - 23 September 01:54
• winter solstice - 21 December 22:23

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2019

• autumnal equinox - 23 September 07:50
• winter solstice - 22 December 04:19
• spring equinox - 20 March 21:58
• summer solstice - 21 June 15:54

Equinoxes and Solstice Days 2020

• spring equinox - 20 March 03:50
• summer solstice - 20 June 21:44
• autumnal equinox - 22 September 13:31

From this article, you will find out when the days of the summer and winter solstices, as well as the autumn and spring equinoxes, come.

The shortest and longest days throughout the year are called solstice days, which are summer and winter, and the time when days and nights are equal is equinoxes, spring and autumn. Learn more about these days.

When, in what month in winter, will daylight hours turn into profit and start growing?

The shortest day in winter winter solstice- We are on December 21 or 22. On one of these days, the smallest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere, in the middle latitudes, it lasts 5 hours and 53 minutes, then the day will increase and the night will decrease.

The closer to the Arctic Circle, the shorter the day. Beyond the line of the Arctic Circle, the sun may not appear at all at this time.

Attention. According to the old style, the winter solstice coincided with Christmas. In the old days, this time was very honored: they festively decorated their house, prepared kutya from wheat, and baked pies and gingerbread from the flour of the new harvest. By the New Year and Christmas holidays, they fed animals (pig, calf) in spring and summer to slaughter Christmas time and cook delicious meat dishes.

At the level of the equator, the day all year round is the same in magnitude as the night (12 hours).

As for the southern hemisphere, everything is different there: when we, in the northern latitudes, have the winter solstice, they have the summer solstice.

It is interesting. The first day of the winter solstice was established by Julius Caesar. This happened in 45 BC. Then that day was December 25th.

When, on what date, is the shortest day and longest night of the year, and how long does it last?

Longest day of the year ( summer solstice) occurs on June 20, but may be on June 21 or 22 (depending on the shift in the calendar associated with leap year). For Moscow, the length of the day is 17 hours 33 minutes, and then the days begin to be shorter and the nights longer.

How can the summer solstice be explained? This is the day when the sun reaches its highest point on the horizon at noon. After this day, the sun begins to go down, and this continues until December 21 or 22.

In the old days, beliefs were associated with this day:

• At this time, healers collected medicinal herbs, since the largest beneficial features plants are showing up right now.
• On the night after the summer solstice, the girls told fortunes about the betrothed, he certainly showed up.
• From that day on, it was possible to swim in reservoirs, and earlier it was forbidden, since, according to legend, devils sat in the water. From that day on, they left for a short time, until the feast of Elijah (August 2).

Note. According to the old style, the summer solstice coincided with Ivanov's day.

By how much will daylight hours begin to increase after December 22?

December 21 or 22 is considered the shortest day, but in fact the next few days are of this duration, and only on December 24-25 the day is added.

At first, the addition of the day is imperceptible, since it increases by 1 minute, and then in the evening, and in the morning the sun rises even later, and then the increase in the day is noticeable, and on March 20-22, the day becomes the same size as the night, about 12 hours.

Interesting. But on other planets of our Universe, the length of the day for some planets is similar to the earth day, for others it is completely different. Day length on other planets(in Earth hours):

• Jupiter - 9 hours
• Saturn - close to 10 o'clock
• Uranus - close to 13 hours
• Neptune - close to 15 hours
• Mars - 24 hours 39 minutes
• Mercury - close to 60 of our days
• Venus - 243 our days

From what day do the days become longer than the nights?

After a day spring equinox, which occurs from March 20 to March 22 (each year differently, due to a leap day shift), the day becomes longer than the night.

For the Slavs, the feast of the Forty Saints is associated with the day of the vernal equinox.. On this day, birds (larks) were baked from pastry, and spring was called, and with it from distant lands, the first birds.

In many Asian countries (the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran), the spring equinox is the New Year.

In Russia (middle latitude), from the days of the equinox and solstice, among the people, it is customary to start Countdown and time of the year:

• Spring - from the 20th of March to the 20th of June
• Summer - from the 20th of June to the 20th of September
• Autumn - from the 20th of September to the 20th of December
• Winter - from the 20th of December to the 20th of March

When is the longest day and shortest night of the year, and how many days are there?

The longest day in 2017 was June 21st. For several days, the days were just as long (17 hours 33 minutes), and from June 24 the days began to decrease.

When, from what date in the summer, daylight hours will begin to decrease?

If we take data for Moscow, then the longest day was 17 hours 33 minutes.

For Moscow, the days will decrease in the following sequence:

• By the end of June, the day had decreased by 6 minutes, and became 17 hours 27 minutes
• For July - for 1 hour 24 minutes, the duration of the day is 16 hours 3 minutes
• For August - for 2 hours 8 minutes, the day lasts 13 hours 51 minutes
• Until the day of the equinox (September 24), the day will decrease by 1 hour 45 minutes, the duration of the day is 12 hours 2 minutes

When does the night get longer than the day?

Autumn equinox day comes from 21 to 23 September, when the day is the same length as the night, about 12 hours. After this day, the night begins to increase and the day to decrease.

After the day of the equinox, the length of the day decreases even more:

• At the end of September, the day lasts 11 hours and 35 minutes
• In October, the day will decrease by 2 hours 14 minutes, and at the end of the month it will be 9 hours 16 minutes
• In November, the day decreases not so intensively, by 1 hour 44 minutes, the length of the day is 7 hours 28 minutes
• Until the day of the winter solstice (December 21), the day will decrease by 28 minutes, the length of the day is 7 hours, the night is 17 hours

It is noteworthy that on days equal in duration to nights (autumn and spring equinoxes), the sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west.

So, we found out when the longest and shortest day of the year.

Video: Solstices and Equinoxes