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What day is long or short. What is the shortest day and the longest night. When the longest day comes, and the shortest night in a year, and how many days lasts

Incredible facts

From December 21-22, the shortest day and the longest night will be observed in the northern hemisphere. This phenomenon got the name of the winter solstice.

Winter solstice marks the beginning of an astronomical winter.

What happens during the winter solstice when this date falls and what traditions exist on this day.

Here are the 10 most interesting facts about the shortest day of the year.


What is the number of winter solstice in 2018

The date of the winter solstice is changing from year to year and can fall from 20 to 23 December, but most often happens on 21 or 22 December.

The reason is that the tropical year is the time that the sun returns to the same point relative to the Earth, differs from the calendar year. The next winter solstice, which will fall on December 20 will occur in 2080, and on December 23, only in 2303.

Winter solstice in 2018 falls December 21 at 22:23 UTC ( December 22 at 1:23 MSK).

2. Winter solstice arises at a certain short moment.



Winter solstice arises not only on a certain day, but at a certain time of the day, when the angle of inclination of the axis of the earth relative to the sun is 23.5 degrees. In the northern hemisphere, the sun occupies the lowest position above the horizon, and the sun even rises over the aircraft around the horizon.

As the winter solstice approaches, the daytime is shortened, and after it gradually extends. On the day of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere the shortest day and the longest night.

So, for example, in Moscow the duration of the day during the winter solstice will be 7h 0m 20scompared 17h 33m 40c during the summer solstice. In Helsinki, Finland, the day will last 5 hours of 49 minutes, and in Murmansk there will be no sunrise in Murmansk - there you can observe the polar night.

4. Ancient cultures considered winter solstice - the time of death and revival

The apparent death of the world and the real threat to hunger during the winter months laid a heavy burden in many cultures. Therefore, at this time, various holidays were often suitable, called for the return of the Sun and the hope of a new life.

During rituals, lights were lit and sacrificed a horned cattle, after which the feast was arranged with dishes from the last fresh meat. In the tradition of Druids, the death of the Sun and the birth of the new sun was honored.

5. The day is marked by new and unusual discoveries



Interestingly, on this day in 1898, Pierre and Maria Curi opened radiums, which became the beginning of the atomic era. And on December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 was launched, when people first went to the arrogant orbit and reached the moon.

6. The word "solstice" is translated as "the sun is still motionless"

This is due to the situation of the Sun in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, which rises or lowers during the year, and it seems that it stops in the days of solstice.

Currently, we look at this phenomenon from the point of view of the cosmic location. In the ancient times, people thought about the trajectory of the sun, about how long it stood in the sky, and which light was discarded.

7. Stonehenge aligned over the sunset on the winter sunstairs

For a long time, for many people, the famous Monument Stonehenge was a kind of sunny clock. Its main axis aims at sunsetWhile another monument to Newgrejnja points to the Sunshine line during the winter solstice.

Although the appointment of this ancient design is still subject to disputes, it is still of great importance during the winter solstice, collecting many people from all over the world to celebrate this event.

Winter Solstice holiday

8. Ancient Romans celebrated Holiday Roles - Saturnali

At that time, Saturnali's holiday was satisfied when everything turned upside down. Social roles changed, gentlemen were served by slaves, and the slaves were allowed to insult their owners. The holiday was named after God Saturn, a patron of agriculture.

Wearing masks and pretense were also part of Saturnlia, where in every house they chose the king ramp. Over time, Saturnalia replaced Christmas, although many of her traditions in the west moved to Christmas.

9. Many believed that dark spirits walk during the winter solstice on the ground



An ancient Iranian festival of Yalda, who is celebrated on the longest night a year, arranged the birth of the ancient God of the Sun and his victory over the darkness.

Zoroastrians believed that evil spirits wandered on this day. People tried to spend most of the night in each other's company, arranged a feast, conversations, told stories and poems to avoid any clashes with dark entities.

The presence of evil spirits in the longest night is also stated in the Celtic and German folklore.

10. During the winter solstice of 2012, the end of the world foreshadowed

December 21, 2012 corresponds to the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Meso-American Calendar of the Long Account, which was used by ancient Maya. It meant the end of the 5126th year cycle. Many believed that such a coincidence would lead to the end of the world or another cataclysm.

Everyone knows that during the solstice, the height of the heavenly shone above the horizon is maximum or minimal exactly at noon, at that moment we with you the duration of the day or night is the maximum. In a year, only two solstice, it is in the winter and summer time, when the shortest day and the longest night is celebrated.

From a long time, people won the sun and watched him, with the winter solstice there are various beliefs to this day. For example, they were tried on the future crop.

When will the shortest day and the longest night in 2019?

In the future, 2019, from the twenty-first (21.12) for the twenty-second (December 22), December, therefore, on these days there will be the shortest day, that is, twenty-first December (21.12) (the duration of which is seven minutes).

What is the longest night?

The very long night of the darkness prevails and seems to be a hopeless darkness. Slavs believed that this is the victory of darkness above the light, but with dawn - the light won. It was at this time that ancient rites and rituals were conducted ancient times, as it was considered the most favorable to change himself for the better. Also, the British believed that this night needed a lot to joke and laugh, because they believed that I voiced the problem, after the "cheerful night" would definitely decide.

How long does the longest night last a year?

Seventeen hours and one minute is the duration of the longest night in the year (17 hours 1 minute).

The longest day is called the day of summer solstice - falls on June 21. On this day, the sun is in a chaise of 17.5 hours, if you take Moscow latitudes. In St. Petersburg and at all almost 19 hours out of 24.

The solar system is quite complicated. Regarding the sun is not an ideal circumference, it has an elliptical form, so at different times the sun is located from the ground a little further or slightly closer to it. The difference is insignificant - 5 million kilometers, but it is precisely it, as well as the slope of the earth's axis, determine the daily and annual cycle. On the longest day - the day of the summer solstice - the land is 152 million kilometers from his star. On this day, the sun is located at the highest point of the earthly skill - ecliptic. Starting on June 21, the light day will begin to decrease gradually until it reaches its minimum, and then everything will start first.

In the culture of many nations, the longest day is still a holiday that came from the depths of centuries. Ancient Slavs, Finns, Swedes, Balts, Germans and Portuguese celebrated, and in some places also continue to celebrate this day as the beginning or middle of the summer. For example, in Sweden on the holiday of summer solstice

after the nights of the festivities, the girls should be gathered to collect 7 different colors and put them under the pillow to dreamed of the narrowed. The Celts on this day was celebrated by Lita - mid-summer. This holiday was directly related to the pagan cult of the Sun.

In Russia, an analogue of these holidays was the day of Ivan Kupala, which is celebrated a little later - July 7th. Slavs also considered this day mystical and thought that it was on the night from July 7 to July 8, a fern blooms, which could point to the place where the treasure was hidden. In China, too, there is a similar holiday - Xägzhi. In Latvia, this holiday is called Ligo and, in general, is a day off. In cities pass marches and

folk festivities that end only with the first rays of the sun.

One of the most famous buildings with which still tie the longest day of the year is Stonehenge, annealed about 5,000 years ago. Every year, thousands of British and tourists are going there and celebrate the beginning of the summer, because from the point of view of astronomy it is his beginning.

In addition to the solstice, there is an equinox. These days, a light day and night occupy an equal amount of time, and such moments occur 2 times a year: September 22-23.

If the goal of find out how much the longest day really lasts, the answer will be simple - half a year. And this day is called polar, while the remaining half a year behind the polar circle reigns the night. This phenomenon can be observed in both hemispheres.

It would seem what importance is the longest day in the northern hemisphere. What would celebrate such a day, and in general, with the invention of electricity, people almost ceased to depend on such trifles as the presence of the sun in the sky. However, in fact everything is much more complicated. Of course, now after sunset it is not necessary to go to bed, and you can simply turn on the table lamp or chandelier. But still people love summer more and sunny days than winter and

Any of us has noticed more than once that the sun goes back in winter later and sits much earlier than in the summer. The days at this time are the shortest for the whole year, but there is among them one day, which is shorter than everyone else.


What number does it have to? How many last time? And why does it happen? Answers to these questions are simple and known for a long time. The cause of the shortest day is a natural phenomenon called winter solstice.

What is the solstice?

Under the solstice, the event is understood during which the Sun passes through the points of section of the heavenly sphere, the most distinguished from its equator. In other words, the shortest day falls at the time when the angle of deviations of its axis from the Sun is most important.

Simple language, with the autumn, the sun sits down and lower to the horizon, and the day is becoming shorter. Over time, it reaches the lower point, stops above the horizon, and then begins to rise. That day when the sun is located at the bottom point, is the most short.

From a long time, this event was considered the most important milestone in the annual cycle and played a significant role in the life of people. Many people on the basis of solstice were annual calendars, hasting holidays and feasts.


In Russia, the shortest day was celebrated by the celebration of the Solvent, which, according to the ideas of the ancient Slavs, was the birthday of the Sun.

When is the solstice?

In general, the solstice happens 2 times a year - in winter and summer, but if in the winter period we see the shortest day, then in the summer - the longest. With summer solstice, the lifting height of our star becomes the highest, and the angle of the axis of rotation of the planet takes at least the value.

That is, if the sun goes to the lower point, and then rises again over the horizon, then by the summer, on the contrary, it reaches the highest point, and after it starts to drop. The time of this event depends on the hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice falls on December, summer - for July. In the southern hemisphere, everything happens on the contrary.

What day is the shortest in the year?

Winter Solstice Day can be at different dates: in the northern hemisphere - on December 21 or 22, in South - on 20 or July 21. It all depends on the calendar shift and from the type of year is the usual or leap.


For the first time, the date of the shortest day was established in 45 BC, the commander of Julia Caesar was installed in the commander. Then the astronomical event occurred on December 25th.

Over the past two thousand years, this date has changed repeatedly, since every 400 years the solstice shifts about 3 days. In particular, by the XVI century, the sun was below all over the horizon on December 12, that is, the difference from the initial date was 13 days.

At the end of the XVI century, Roman Pope Gregory XIII decided to bring in line with the civil and seasonal calendar. He annulled a 10-day shift that occurred from IV to the XVII century, but did not take into account the 3-day shift, which happened from 45 to our era and up to the IV century. As a result, in the Julian calendar, the winter solstice began to celebrate on December 21-22.

How long does the shortest day last?

The duration of the day for the winter solstice varies depending on the latitude. It is believed that in the central regions of the northern hemisphere, it lasts 5 hours 53 minutes. In different areas of the globe, this figure can differ significantly.

For example, in areas located in the equator, the day is almost equal to night. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Arabian Peninsula, it lasts about 11 hours, and in Moscow - approximately 6 hours 56 minutes.


In the regions located in the Northern Polar, the sun may not rise above the horizon at all, that is, during this period, a polar night has been observed. In the areas located behind the southern polar circle, everything happens on the contrary - the polar day is reigned there, and the sun does not sit down during the day.

Thus, the closer to the equator in the northern hemisphere, the longer the shortest day, and the closer to the equator in the southern hemisphere, the shorter.

The longest day of the year is the day of the summer solstice. He will follow the shortest night a year.

On this day, the height of the sun lift in the sky is the highest. This leads to the longest light day and the shortest night in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the most short day and the longest night in the southern hemisphere.

It turns out that the astronomical summer comes for residents of the Northern Hemisphere, then in South - Astronomical Winter.

Date of the day of summer solstice depends on the shifts in the calendar and leap year. As a rule, it falls on June 21-22.

Solstice date from 2014 to 2020

  • 2014 - June 21
  • 2015 - June 21
  • 2016 - June 20
  • 2017 - June 21
  • 2018 - June 21
  • 2019 - June 21
  • 2020 - June 20

    • Longitude of the daylight on the longest day of the year in northern latitude is about 17, 5 hours. And the night, as a rule, lasts approximately 6 o'clock.

    The holiday of summer solstice, was considered a special, magical day for pagans. In ancient times, the Sun was deified, people believed that it had power over all alive. Therefore, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere meant the highest flourishing of nature forces.

    In Russia, long before the adoption of Christianity, celebrated on this day day of Ivan Kupala- early summer. Now Kupala is celebrated from July 6 to July 7 for a new style, but the rites and the traditional traditions of this day remained unchanged.

    On the day of the summer solstice, people glorified the sun, made rites for gaining well-being and health, burned fires, drove dance, organized noisy festivities, collected field medicinal herbs. This day was ideal for gadas and vorozhba, so young girls did not miss the opportunity to learn their future and wondered to marriage.

    On the night, which walked after the shortest day, was not customary to sleep.First, this night is fairly bright for sleep. Secondly, it was believed that the troubles and misfortunes could be attached. People tried to spend these day and the night with benefit for themselves - they made rituals, rites and wondered to fate. Since this day is considered energetically strong, our ancestors used the forces of nature to attract well-being and good harvest. We wish good luck and do not forget to click on the buttons and

    20.06.2015 09:11

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