When was Iowa's earliest sunset? Des Moines is already experiencing its earliest sunsets. Since Dec. 1, the sunset has been at 4:44 p.m. It's expected to set at 4:45 starting on D ...

The shortest day of the year is the winter solstice. A solstice is the moment the Earth's tilt toward or away from the sun is at a maximum, according to the National Weather Service.

When the North Pole is tilted towards the sun, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. In December, the winter solstice marks the exact moment the Northern Hemisphere is tilted the furthest away ...

The winter solstice marks the first day of winter. Here's when the solstice occurs in 2024 and some key facts about the first day of winter.

The exact moment of the winter solstice varies from year to year due to a slight misalignment between the Gregorian calendar and the actual rate of the Earth’s rotation around the sun.

The sun's rays fall directly on the equator ... At precisely 5:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Teh winter solstice is Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. Chris Sims is a digital content producer ...