Countdown to Winter Solstice 2026
December solstice 2026 is on Monday, December 21, 2026 at 20:50 UTC (see your local time below). Shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
How long until December solstice?
- Calendar days
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- Weeks and days
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- Weekdays (Mon–Fri)
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- Weekends
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- Total hours
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- Months and days
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Counted from today in your time zone. Weekdays exclude Saturdays and Sundays but not public holidays — for that, use the business days calculator.
December solstice 2026 at a glance
- Date
- Monday, December 21, 2026
- Exact moment
- 20:50 UTC
- Day of the year
- Day 355 of 365
- ISO week
- Week 52
December solstice dates, 2024–2034
The December solstice is the instant the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. It happens at the same moment everywhere, so the local date can differ between time zones.
| Year | Date | Day | Time (UTC) | From today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | December 21 | Saturday | 09:20 UTC | — |
| 2025 | December 21 | Sunday | 15:03 UTC | — |
| 2026 | December 21 | Monday | 20:50 UTC | — |
| 2027 | December 22 | Wednesday | 02:42 UTC | — |
| 2028 | December 21 | Thursday | 08:20 UTC | — |
| 2029 | December 21 | Friday | 14:14 UTC | — |
| 2030 | December 21 | Saturday | 20:10 UTC | — |
| 2031 | December 22 | Monday | 01:56 UTC | — |
| 2032 | December 21 | Tuesday | 07:56 UTC | — |
| 2033 | December 21 | Wednesday | 13:46 UTC | — |
| 2034 | December 21 | Thursday | 19:34 UTC | — |
Times are computed from the rule above and rounded to the minute; your local time is shown alongside UTC.
About December solstice
- It is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The earliest sunset and latest sunrise do not fall on the solstice: at mid-northern latitudes the earliest sunset comes in early December and the latest sunrise in early January.
- It marks the start of astronomical winter in the north and astronomical summer in the south.
Questions about December solstice 2026
What day of the week is December solstice 2026?
December solstice 2026 falls on a Monday (Monday, December 21, 2026), at 20:50 UTC.
When is December solstice 2027?
December solstice 2027 is on Wednesday, December 22, 2027, at 02:42 UTC.
How is the date of December solstice determined?
The December solstice is the instant the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. It happens at the same moment everywhere, so the local date can differ between time zones.
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