December Solstice 2027

What this countdown tracks

The clock counts down to the December solstice of 2027, which occurs at 02:43 UTC on Wednesday, December 22, 2027. At that instant the Sun reaches its southernmost declination, the Northern Hemisphere has its shortest day of the year and the Southern Hemisphere its longest, and astronomical winter (Northern) and astronomical summer (Southern) begin.

About this celestial event

The 2027 December solstice falls on Wednesday December 22 in UTC and Eurasia, but in the Americas it lands on Tuesday December 21 evening local time. Local times for the 02:43 UTC instant: 21:43 on December 21 in New York (EST), 02:43 in London (GMT), 03:43 in Paris and Berlin (CET), 05:43 in Moscow, 08:13 in New Delhi, 10:43 in Beijing, and 11:43 in Tokyo.

What's astronomically distinctive about 2027: the December solstice falls during a near-new-moon period (new moon December 27, 2027), making the solstice night one of the darkest of the year for stargazing — a strong contrast with the supermoon-illuminated solstice night of December 2026. The Geminid meteor shower peak (December 13-14, 2027) has long faded, but the Ursid shower peaks on the solstice itself with the moonless sky giving a clean radiant. The 2027 solstice is also the first since the August 2, 2027 total solar eclipse, which has reset astronomy-tourism patterns across Egypt and Saudi Arabia for the calendar year.

At Newgrange in Ireland the December sunrise of December 22, 2027 illuminates the inner chamber's roof box at approximately 09:00 GMT. Stonehenge's December sunset alignment is the lesser-known counterpart to its June sunrise.

What to expect

At London or Berlin December 22 runs only about eight hours of daylight; New York gets nine; Mumbai 11; everywhere north of the Arctic Circle is in deep polar night. From the solstice onward days begin to lengthen — a minute a day at temperate latitudes, building through January.

The classic observances continue: Newgrange's lottery-allocated chamber viewing; Stonehenge's evening sunset gathering; Iran's Shab-e Yalda longest-night vigil; Scandinavian Yule traditions of bonfires, candles, and family meals. The Inca Inti Raymi festival celebrates the June solstice in Cusco — the southern hemisphere's summer counterpart.

Past solstices

• December 21, 2026 — solstice at 20:50 UTC (the supermoon-coincident year)
• December 21, 2025 — solstice at 15:03 UTC
• December 21, 2024 — solstice at 09:21 UTC
• December 22, 2023 — solstice at 03:27 UTC
• December 21, 2022 — solstice at 21:48 UTC
• December 21, 2021 — solstice at 15:59 UTC

How to observe

The US Naval Observatory, UK Met Office and timeanddate.com publish the exact instant. The Office of Public Works in Ireland streams the Newgrange chamber alignment from a fixed camera inside the passage tomb. English Heritage covers the Stonehenge sunset live. Iranian state TV carries Shab-e Yalda. The dark, moonless December 22 sky makes it one of the strongest mid-winter dates for amateur astrophotography — Orion, Sirius, and the Pleiades sit high in mid-northern skies through the long night.

Related countdowns

The December solstice anchors the year-end alongside March equinox 2027, June solstice 2027, and September equinox 2027. Pair with Saturn opposition 2027, Christmas 2027 for the holiday-season run-in, and Mars opposition 2027 for the planet-watching companion.

FAQ

When is the December solstice 2027? Wednesday, December 22, 2027 at 02:43 UTC. What's the local date in North America? Most of North America observes the solstice on December 21 evening local time. What's special about 2027? The solstice falls in a near-new-moon window — an unusually dark sky for amateur astrophotography, in contrast with the supermoon-coincident solstice of 2026. Can I see the Newgrange chamber alignment? Only by entering the public lottery; Ireland's Office of Public Works also live-streams the chamber camera from inside the passage tomb.