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What Is a Solstice?

Solstices occur on the longest and shortest days of the calendar year. The winter solstice marks the beginning of winter, while the summer solstice indicates the start of summer. These dates were observed by humans long before recorded history.

Function
- Earth is tilted on an axis of approximately 23.5 degrees. Eric Weisstein from Science World explains that each hemisphere receives varying amounts of light and heat as the planet travels around the sun. The summer and winter solstices occur on the days of maximum tilt, when the hemisphere is as far north or as far south as it can go.
History
- Humans have observed the solstices since ancient times. According to Brian Handwerk of National Geographic News, certain monuments in Europe, such as the Newgrange Tomb, were aligned according to the solstice. Many European holidays such as Christmas date back to the observation of solstices.
Fun Fact
- Although most early European cultures celebrated the winter solstice with feasting and revelry, other cultures observed the day with fear. According to History.com, the pagan Germans worshipped Oden and believed that he spent the winter solstice observing his people and deciding who would do well during the coming year and who would die.

Astronomy