Google celebrates Winter Solstice 'The Shortest Day of the year' with a Doodle

Lucknow: Google celebrates the Winter Solstice or midwinter, today with a doodle, marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

This is an astronomical phenomena that occurs when Earth's North pole has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

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This phenomenon happens twice in a year, once in each hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice, when the day is the shortest day and night is the longest night of the year.

In the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice, when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and it is the longest with the shortest night of the year.

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The word "solstice" comes from the Latin solstitium meaning 'Sun stands still', when the 'movement of sun's path' stops briefly. The day and time of the solstice vary each year.

Where Summer Solstice occurs between June 20 and June 22, Winter Solstice occurs between December 20 and December 23.

The solstice occur due to the tilt in Earth's axis of rotation, giving different parts of the planet more exposure to the Sun at different times of the year.

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This phenomenon holds a special significance in many cultures and people come together to celebrate and mark this day. In some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of Winters and in others it is the mid of the Winters.

On this day, the Sun directly aligns with the famous Stonehenge and people come together to celebrate and capture the moment.