Celebrate the return of the light! On Sun., Dec. 21, at 10:03 EST, the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky as the northern hemisphere tilts to its furthest point from the sun. This is the winter solstice. Solstice loosely translates to “sun stand still.” The sun’s movement just before and after the solstice is so slight that it appears to pause.

In the Northern Hemisphere, this signals the astronomical first day of winter and brings the longest hours of darkness. Temperatures drop as the sun travels lower toward the horizon, though, due to its elliptical orbit, Earth is closer to the Sun than in June. Earth does not orbit the sun at a constant speed, so each season has a different length. June Solstice to September equinox brings the longest stretch, measuring 93.6 days. December Solstice to the March Equinox is the shortest season at 89 days.

Festivals to bring back the light abound. In Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul centered on fires to symbolize the heat and light of the returning sun. A Juul log – Yule log – was burned to honor Thor, who would bring the warmth of the sun back to the land.

As a stellar finale to Dec. 21, the Ursid meteor shower will reach its peak. With the moon a thin sliver, dark skies on this longest night may bring good viewing.