Summary

  • Today will have the fewest daylight hours for people in the northern hemisphere

  • People are gathering at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice

  • The Neolithic monument was built to align with the Sun in both midwinter and midsummer

  • We'll get less than eight hours of sun in the UK today - and the exact moment of the solstice has already passed

  • In the southern hemisphere, people are marking the summer solstice and will see the longest day of the year

Timelapse shows winter solstice sunrise at Stonehenge

Live Reporting

Edited by Jenna Moon

  1. It’s been there for thousands of years - but we don’t know why Stonehenge was built

    No one really knows why Stonehenge was built. But people have been gathering at the stone circle for millennia.

    According to English Heritage, the stone circle has “no obvious practical purpose” – the site was not lived in and could not be defended.

    The stones are believed to have been moved there around 2500 BC.

    The stones are deliberately placed to line up with the Sun’s movements during the two solstices, marking the changing of the seasons. Because of the connection with the Sun’s movement, and due to burials uncovered at the site, it is believed to have played a spiritual role.

    A diagram shows where the sun rises during the winter and summer solstices at stonehenge

    The changing of the seasons would have meant a lot to the people who lived there at the time, defining what would grow and the general living conditions.

    Based on Stonehenge’s design, English Heritage says it’s thought that the winter solstice - rather than summer - may have been the most important focus for the people who built the stone circle.

    “We have few clues as to what they did here,” it says, adding excavations show that the area within the circle seems to have been kept clean of everyday debris.

  2. Dawn is breaking in London

    Imogen James
    Live reporter

    A picture of a plaza between two buildings, and a church in front with the spire lit up. The ground is wet and a security guard stands in the distance

    It's just past 08:00 GMT, and the sun has finally reached us here in London - despite some overcast weather preventing a good view of those first morning rays.

    Since the BBC newsroom is in a windowless basement, I've had to poke my head outside to verify its existence. When I finish my shift later, it'll be dark again!

  3. The tradition of celebrating the solstice at Stonehenge

    People gather at stonehenge to watch the sunrise on the winter solstice

    The winter solstice has been celebrated by cultures all over the world for thousands of years.

    In the northern hemisphere, Stonehenge is an important landmark for the occasion.

    The Neolithic monument - which took many hundreds of years to build - is aligned to the position of the Sun at both midwinter and midsummer. The stones are positioned to frame the midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunrise.

    Ancient Britons likely held ceremonies there on the winter and summer solstices.

    Today, people still gather at the monument in Wiltshire to watch the sunrise on the shortest day of the year.

  4. People gather at Stonehenge as sunrise approaches

    It's nearly dawn, and we're getting a first look at Stonehenge, where crowds are gathering to celebrate the solstice. We're keeping a keen eye out for the first signs of the sun.

    A crowd of people around Stonehenge

    People have now been let into the famous site, as day begins to break in Stonehenge, Wiltshire

    A blurry dark picture of a large crowd in front of a spotlight

    Crowds were gathering from early on this morning to get a sight of the solstice from the famous Stonehenge monument

    Stonehenge in the darkness, the sky has a red tinge and it's lit up by floodlights

    But before that, our reporter managed to capture the calm before the chaos

  5. How many hours of daylight will there be today?

    A winter sunrise, with the Sun visible through pylons.Getty Images

    Today is the shortest day of the year - but just how short it is depends on where you are in the world.

    For those watching the sun in the UK, the time differences are minor but still noticeable.

    • In London the sunrise will be at about 08:04 GMT and sunset at 15:53 GMT
    • In Edinburgh, the sunrise will be at about 08:42 GMT and sunset at 15:39 GMT
    • And in the Shetland Islands, the sun will rise at 09:08 GMT, with sunset at 14:57 GMT

    Wherever you are in the UK today, the daylight hours are so short that it will be less than half the length of the longest day of the year.

  6. What is the winter solstice?

    The winter solstice is the 24-hour period with the fewest hours of daylight in the year. It’s also known as the shortest day and longest night.

    It’s the opposite of the summer solstice - which has the most daylight and the shortest night of the year.

    This year, the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere falls on 21 December, and today we’ll get a little under eight hours of daylight in London. Communities further north will have even shorter days.

    From today on, the days will start getting longer.

    What is the Winter Solstice?

  7. Join us for the shortest day of the year

    A crowd stood in front of Stone Henge. A woman closest to the camera wears a multi coloured cloak and a big flower crown with a hornGetty Images

    Visitors to Stonehenge wait for sunrise next to the standing stones last year

    Today marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Many around the northern hemisphere will be attending winter solstice celebrations.

    The winter solstice begins the pagan festival of Yule - but the astrological phenomena has been observed by cultures all over the world for thousands of years. Typically, festivals marking the solstice are a celebration of light, marking the symbolic rebirth of the Sun.

    The winter solstice is still celebrated across many parts of the world today. Its observance in early Germanic traditions makes up some of our modern festive customs, including Christmas trees and putting wreaths on the front door.

    Stonehenge is a popular destination for people observing the day, but events take place in many other countries.

    We’ll be covering these celebrations throughout the day - so stay with us right here.