Australia braces for the darkest week of the year during the winter solstice
Millions of Australians will shiver through the darkest week of the year as the annual winter solstice approaches this weekend.
The southern hemisphere's winter solstice on Saturday, June 21, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year based on the time between sunrise and sunset.
The three days before and after the solstice will contribute to a seven-day period with the least amount of daylight for the year.
Hobart will have the shortest day, while Darwin will have the longest.
The sun will rise at 7.42am in the island state and set at 4.43pm, while in Darwin, the sun will come up at 3.36am and set at 6pm.
Darwin's day length will be 11 hours and 24 minutes compare to just nine hours and one minute in Hobart.
Each hemisphere has a winter solstice, spaced six months apart.
The southern hemisphere marks the winter solstice when the sun appears to be at the lowest point in the sky when viewed from the equator.
The days will slowly begin to get longer and the nights shorter in the next six months until the summer solstice arrives in Australia between December 21 and 22.
The solstice is caused by Earth's tilt on its axis and its orbital motion around the sun.
The Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5degrees with the tilt allowing northern and southern hemispheres to trade places in receiving the sun's light and warmth.
It's the Earth's tilt, not its distance from the sun, that causes winter and summer.
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