Shortest Day of the Year 2026
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Current Local Time
—The shortest day of the year in 2026 is December 21 (winter solstice), with approximately 9 hours and 20 minutes of daylight at 40°N latitude.
What Is the Shortest Day of the Year?
The shortest day of the year occurs on the winter solstice — December 21, 2026 for the Northern Hemisphere — when the sun reaches its lowest declination at 23.44° south. This is the day with the fewest daylight hours between sunrise and sunset. The exact length depends dramatically on your latitude: at the equator (0°), it's barely shorter than any other day at about 12 hours 7 minutes. At 40°N (New York, Beijing, Madrid), it's roughly 9 hours 20 minutes. At the Arctic Circle (66.56°N), the sun doesn't rise at all — 0 hours of daylight.
The day-length loss is dramatic at higher latitudes: every degree of latitude you move north from the equator subtracts roughly 2-3 minutes of daylight on the solstice. By the time you reach London (51.5°N), you get only about 7 hours 50 minutes of daylight. Past the Arctic Circle (66.56°N), the sun doesn't rise at all — the phenomenon called polar night. For the Southern Hemisphere, December 21 is the longest day — the mirror opposite, with maximum daylight and the start of summer.
FAQ — Shortest Day of the Year 2026
How many hours of daylight on the shortest day?
It depends entirely on your latitude. At the equator: ~12 hours. At 30°N (Cairo, Houston): ~10 hours. At 40°N (NYC, Madrid): ~9 hours 20 minutes. At 50°N (London, Paris): ~7 hours 50 minutes. At 60°N (Oslo, Helsinki): ~5.5 hours. At the Arctic Circle (66.56°N): 0 hours — no sunrise. Use our day length calculator for your exact value.
Is the shortest day the same as the winter solstice?
Yes — the shortest day is the winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere (December 20-22). For the Southern Hemisphere, the shortest day falls on the June solstice (June 20-22). The phrase 'shortest day' always refers to whichever hemisphere is experiencing winter, so you need to specify which one you mean.
What is polar night?
Polar night occurs when the sun doesn't rise at all — the sky remains dark for 24 hours. This happens north of the Arctic Circle (66.56°N) during the Northern Hemisphere winter. The further past the Arctic Circle you go, the more days of polar night: at 70°N, it lasts about 2 months; at the North Pole, roughly 6 months (from the autumn equinox to the spring equinox). The Southern Hemisphere has its own polar night south of the Antarctic Circle.
Which countries experience the shortest day?
Countries in the Northern Hemisphere at high latitudes experience the most dramatic short days: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Greenland. London gets about 7h 50m. Oslo gets about 5.5h. Inside the Arctic Circle, places like Tromsø, Norway get zero daylight — complete polar night.
Why is December 21 the shortest day?
December 21 (or 22) is when Earth's south pole is tilted maximally toward the sun, placing the Northern Hemisphere at its maximum tilt away from the sun. This gives the Northern Hemisphere the lowest solar arc and shortest path of the sun across the sky, resulting in minimum daylight. After this date, the tilt begins reversing and days start lengthening.
What about the Southern Hemisphere's shortest day?
The Southern Hemisphere's shortest day falls on the June solstice (June 20-22). In Sydney, that's about 10 hours of daylight. In Buenos Aires, about 9.5 hours. Near the Antarctic Circle, you get 24 hours of polar night — the mirror image of the Northern Hemisphere's December experience. For Australians, December 21 is actually the longest day.