December Solstice 2026
The December solstice of 2026 is on Monday, December 21, 2026 at 20:50 UTC, when the Sun reaches 0°00' Capricorn. It starts winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Your time:
Status as of November 2, 2026: in 50 days.
What time is the December solstice 2026?
At 20:50 UTC on December 21, 2026: Mon, Dec 21, 12:50 PM in Los Angeles, Mon, Dec 21, 03:50 PM in New York, Mon, Dec 21, 08:50 PM in London.
What date is the December solstice 2026 where I live?
It depends on the time zone: December 21 in Los Angeles, New York, London; December 22 in India, Sydney.
Is the December solstice the first day of winter?
Astronomically, yes in the Northern Hemisphere and no in the Southern, where the December solstice on December 21, 2026 starts summer; weather services often count seasons by whole months instead.
How long is the season that starts at the December solstice 2026?
89 days 0 hours: winter in the north (summer in the south) runs until the March equinox on March 20, 2027 at 20:24 UTC.
Why is the December solstice 2026 at a different time than in 2025?
It comes 5 h 47 min later on the clock than in 2025 (December 21, 2025, 15:03 UTC), because the 365-day calendar year is about a quarter of a day shorter than the solar year.
How long is the day on the December solstice 2026?
From sunrise to sunset on December 21, 2026: 7 h 50 min in London, 9 h 15 min in New York, 10 h 58 min in Mexico City, 11 h 51 min in Bogotá, 13 h 36 min in São Paulo, 14 h 25 min in Sydney; it is the shortest day of the year north of the equator and the longest south of it.
What does the Sun entering Capricorn mean in astrology?
It is the Capricorn ingress: astrologers cast a chart for 20:50 UTC on December 21, 2026 and read it for the season ahead, and in 2026 that chart has the Moon at 29°00' Taurus (waxing gibbous, 93% lit).
Local clock readings
| Place | Local time |
|---|---|
| UTC | December 21, 2026, 20:50 UTC |
| Los Angeles | Mon, Dec 21, 12:50 PM |
| New York | Mon, Dec 21, 03:50 PM |
| London | Mon, Dec 21, 08:50 PM |
| India | Tue, Dec 22, 02:20 AM |
| Sydney | Tue, Dec 22, 07:50 AM |
The sky at the December solstice 2026
| Body | Position |
|---|---|
| Sun | ♑︎ 0°00' Capricorn |
| Moon | ♉︎ 29°00' Taurus |
| Mercury | ♐︎ 23°53' Sagittarius |
| Venus | ♏︎ 13°47' Scorpio |
| Mars | ♍︎ 8°10' Virgo |
| Jupiter | ♌︎ 26°53' Leo R |
| Saturn | ♈︎ 8°02' Aries |
| Uranus | ♊︎ 2°38' Gemini R |
| Neptune | ♈︎ 1°38' Aries |
| Pluto | ♒︎ 4°03' Aquarius |
| Moon phase | waxing gibbous, 93% lit |
Geocentric tropical positions at the exact instant; R = retrograde.
Day length on December 21, 2026
| City | Daylight |
|---|---|
| London | 7 h 50 min |
| New York | 9 h 15 min |
| Mexico City | 10 h 58 min |
| Bogotá | 11 h 51 min |
| São Paulo | 13 h 36 min |
| Sydney | 14 h 25 min |
Sunrise to sunset on that calendar date at each city, computed for the Sun’s upper edge with standard refraction.
The Sun enters Capricorn
Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn; its keywords: ambitious, disciplined, patient. The Sun’s 30 days in Capricorn start at this instant.
Retrograde at the December solstice 2026: Jupiter, Uranus.
Data: seasons/2026.json (CC0 JSON).