المملكة: Next Saturday is the astronomical date of the winter solstice and the beginning of winter

Winter begins on Earth when sunlight tends to spread over a wider area, reducing its thermal effect and causing temperatures to drop.
This is due to the Earth’s rotation axis being tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees, as the Sun’s tilt changes north and south, reaching its southernmost tilt on December 21.

The beginning of the winter solstice

Astronomical researcher Mulham Muhammad Hindi explained that this year the sun will reach its southernmost inclination next Saturday, December 21, and the next day it will begin its movement back north.
This is known astronomically as the winter solstice, which is considered the beginning of the winter season astronomically and lasts for 89 days.

Hindi pointed out that the astronomical beginning of winter includes the northern half of the Earth, while winter actually begins earlier, depending on the location.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, winter usually begins in early December and the cold intensifies in the middle of the month.

All day and night

He added that the winter solstice witnesses the longest night and shortest day of the year, as the length of the day in Mecca is 10 hours and 50 minutes, while the night extends to 13 hours and 10 minutes.
In Riyadh, the day is 10 hours and 37 minutes, compared to 13 hours and 23 minutes at night. In the Eastern Province, the day extends to 10 hours and 29 minutes, while the night reaches 13 hours and 31 minutes.
As for Turaif Governorate, the longest night in the Kingdom is recorded at 13 hours and 55 minutes.

Hindi confirmed that the length of the night increases as we head north until it reaches the North Pole, which is in the middle of its long night lasting 6 months. Starting next Sunday, the night will begin to decrease gradually until it is equal to the day on the spring equinox, which will occur on next March 20.