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So, if you\u2019re wondering how you are going to make it through the dark winter nights, congratulations, you\u2019ve already made it. You have up to 14\u00a0fewer dark nights to worry about.<\/p>\n

Why is the case? This curiosity highlights a compromise in timekeeping that depends on two factors of the Earth\u2019s motion in space:\u00a0 it\u2019s all to do with the angle the earth tilts towards the sun, and the difference between the human day (measured by clocks) and the solar day.<\/p>\n

The winter solstice occurs on the day when the sun\u2019s apparent altitude reaches its lowest point at noon. In celestial terms, this is when the sun reaches its greatest declination south of the celestial equator (a line in the sky created by projecting the Earth\u2019s equator onto the stars) since the Earth\u2019s north pole leans as far away from the sun as possible. The change in the sun\u2019s declination around the solstice is very slow, as it rounds a curve and begins to rise up towards the equator again.<\/p>\n

The longest of nights<\/strong><\/p>\n

The winter solstice is often described as the shortest \u2028day of the year. By default, this makes it the longest night, and an occasion worth celebrating. Ancient cultures saw it as a time of rebirth, welcoming back the light \u2013 a view maintained by many to this day. Here at Lammas Eco Village in Pembrokeshire, drummers, pipers and dancers gather together around a fire on the solstice to \u201chonour the turning point in the Sacred Dance of our Earth Mother\u201d.<\/p>\n

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How long is a day?<\/h2>\n
Answer \u201924 hours\u2019 and Tom Kerss, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, will politely correct you. \u201cThe Earth\u2019s rotation, which is very consistent, has been measured with respect to the stars to be 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds,\u201d he explains. \u201cDue to the history of timekeeping, we base our clocks on the length of a solar day \u2013 the time between noon today and noon tomorrow, or the time between two solar crossings of the meridian. We divide this into 24 hours, but in fact this figure isn\u2019t consistent from one day to the next.<\/p>\n
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Ways to celebrate the winter Solstice<\/h2>\n

Solway Firth, Cumbria<\/h3>\n
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Selworthy Beacon, Somerset<\/h3>\n
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Tennyson Down, Isle of Wight<\/h3>\n
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Zennor Head, Cornwall<\/h3>\n
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Dinas Island, Pembrokeshire<\/h3>\n
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Ways to celebrate the winter Solstice<\/h2>\n

4. Make something out of natural materials<\/h3>\nCreate something handmade that celebrates new life and the natural world, such as a wreath \u2013 you can then hang this on your door or in your window, ready for Christmas.<\/p>\n