Early Saturday morning, the occurrence of the 2024 winter solstice marked the astronomical start of winter, and it's been greeted with appropriately frigid temperatures.
The event also marks the shortest day of the year, where sunrise and sunset times are the closest together that they will be, opposite to the longest day of the year, which occurs near the summer solstice.
With some of the shortest days of the year ahead, here's what to know about the winter solstice as well as sunrise and sunset times in the Chicago area.
When will the sun rise and set this week in Chicago?
Saturday marks the year's shortest day, with a daylight length of nine hours, seven minutes and 44 seconds, with a 7:15 a.m. sunrise and a 4:22 p.m. sunset, according to timeanddate.com.
The long-awaited lengthening of days finally begins Sunday - though you likely won't notice the change for a while.
Here's a look at the sunrise and sunset times of the next few days as Christmas and Hanukkah approach, with times changing by mere seconds each day at first before more noticeable changes near the new year.
- Sunday, Dec. 22: 7:15 a.m. to 4:23 p.m
- Monday, Dec. 23: 7:15 a.m. to 4:23 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 24: 7:16 a.m. to 4:24 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 25: 7:16 a.m. to 4:25 p.m.
By New Year's Eve, the length of daylight will nine hours, 11 minutes and 31 seconds, nearly four minutes longer than Saturday's length of daylight.
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What is the winter solstice?
The first day of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which for 2024 takes place on Saturday, Dec. 21.
"The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight throughout the year, making it the “shortest day” of the year," the Old Farmers Almanac says. "Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and longer again until we reach the summer solstice—the first day of summer and the longest day of the year."
When is the winter solstice?
This year, the winter solstice happened at 3:21 a.m. Central Standard Time on Saturday, Dec. 21, according to the National Weather Service.
The winter solstice however doesn't last a day -- it only lasts a moment, when the hemisphere is titled as far asway from the sun as possible, the Old Farmer's Almanac said.
Can you see the winter solstice?
Sort of.
Each day, the sun traces a path across the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west. As the winter solstice approaches and the number of hours of sunlight in a day decreases, the sun's path sinks lower in the sky, though it follows the same general arc.
By the time the winter solstice arrives, the sun sits at the lowest position in the sky it can.
As a result, the shadow you cast becomes longer and longer as the winter solstice approaches. So, while solstices aren't nearly as visible as eclipses, if you go outside at noon on the winter solstice, your shadow will be the longest it will be all year.
When will days start getting longer?
While the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, it also means more sunlight on the way.
Around New Year’s Day, Chicago will still be gaining daylight each day, but sunrise will be occurring at its latest point of the year, with the sun coming up around 7:18 a.m. each day.
By the end of January, Chicago will be gaining two minutes of daylight per day, and sunset will be occurring after 5 p.m. for the first time since daylight saving time ended on Nov. 3.
Jan. 30 will also be the date that Chicago eclipses 10 hours of daylight, with bigger and bigger gains coming as the winter continues.
