WINTER SOLSTICE EXPLAINED In the Southern Hemisphere, the shortest day of the year is the winter solstice, when our region of the Earth is tilted away from the Sun. South of the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66°S, the icy continent slips into 24 hours of continuous darkness at least once a year. Watch the line in this satellite timelapse to match the seasons changing with the Earth spinning on its tilted axis. The winter solstice can occur between 21 and 23 June. This year, it happens at precisel