المملكة: Saturday is the astronomical start of winter

The winter solstice occurs on Saturday, December 21, at 12:20 PM Mecca time, and the sun will be shining directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, which marks the beginning of the astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere (which lasts approximately 89 days) and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.
The head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, Engineer Majid Abu Zahra, explained that the winter solstice occurs because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis and its movement around the sun, and because the Earth during its rotation around the sun is not vertical, but is tilted by 23.5 degrees.
Therefore, the northern hemisphere and the southern half exchange places in receiving sunlight, and therefore the tilt of the Earth, not the distance separating it from the sun, is the reason for the occurrence of the four seasons.

The beginning of winter

He explained that the North Pole is tilted away from the sun on the day of the winter solstice and the sun apparently reaches the southernmost point in the sky, so in all locations north of the equator the daylight is less than 12 hours, while in the areas south of the equator the daylight is longer than 12 hours.
Abu Zahra stated that not all places around the world have sunrise and sunset on the day of the winter solstice. North of the Polar Circle, at latitude 66.5 degrees north, there is no sunrise or sunset on this day because the sun remains below the horizon throughout the day.

While the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66.5 degrees south will not observe a sunrise or sunset either, because the sun remains above the horizon throughout the day, a phenomenon known as the midnight sun, which is evidence of the Earth’s sphericity.
On the day of the winter solstice, it is observed that dawn is delayed and the sun rises from the far south-east, and the arc of the sun’s apparent path in the dome of the sky is low, and at noon (midday), the shadows of objects are at their maximum length during the year, and then the sunset comes early.
He pointed out that after the sun reaches the southernmost point in the sky “apparently” on the winter solstice, it will be observed as if it shines from one point in the south of the sky for a few days before it begins its apparent path toward the north again as a result of the Earth’s movement in its orbit around the sun. After that, daylight hours will begin to increase until… The night hours are equal to the occurrence of the vernal equinox on March 20, 2025.