First day of winter 2018: 6 facts about the winter solstice (12/21/18) - NJ.com

By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Posted December 21, 2018 at 05:20 AM

The 2018 winter solstice is drawing near, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. (Pixabay.com)

Ready for the 2018 winter solstice? Unless you stare at your clock and pay very close attention to the position of the sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis, you probably won't even notice when the winter season officially starts.

If you're not an astronomy expert, don't fret. Winter in the northern hemisphere arrives shortly after 5:20 p.m. (New York City time) on Friday, Dec. 21, which will be the shortest day and longest night of the year, based on the hours, minutes and seconds of sunlight and darkness.

Here are a few things to know about the so-called winter solstice, also known as the December solstice.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of 2018. Pictured is a Christmas wreath at the end of a dock in Maine, shortly before another winter season began. (Pat Wellenbach | AP)

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is an astronomical event, based on the Earth's tilt away from the sun. It occurs when the tilt of the North Pole is positioned the farthest away from the sun, causing less light to reach the northern hemisphere.

Although it's a little depressing to have a day with so much darkness, there's some reason to be jolly. After Dec. 21, each day will gradually grow longer and the nights will grow shorter as we get closer to spring and summer -- and, hopefully, nicer weather.

The bad news: Winter is historically the coldest and snowiest season of the year. So dig out those ear muffs and ice scrapers, if you haven't done so already.

The official winter season is drawing near. (Pixabay.com)

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