In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer solstice and the longest day of the year.
The term solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning ‘the Sun stands still’.
This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southern-most position as seen from the Earth.
The Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction.
It’s also common to call it the day the Sun turns around.
