Latest news with #winterSolstice
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Annual Burning the Clocks parade to take fallow year
The annual Burning the Clocks parade in Brighton will not be held this year, organisers have event, which celebrates the winter solstice, is to take a fallow year before returning in Sky, the creators of the event, said it would allow the organisation to focus on future planning while running its national event's programme."It was a tough but necessary decision," Jane McMorrow, Same Sky's interim chief executive, said. She said the decision was made to ensure focus on its resources and to allow time to "strategically review and secure the long term future for Same Sky"."We're a small but powerful charity that has connected communities through shared art projects since we began in 1987, but in recent years, alongside many other small arts charities, we've faced immense funding challenges."The cost to stage large scale community events like Burning the Clocks have soared in recent years, with an expenditure increase of 44% since 2019 and 2024's costs' exceeding £50,000, the company said. The 2026 effigy has been commissioned with the theme 'Magicada', representing a symbolic rest followed by a noisy large lantern sculpture will be displayed publicly this year in Brighton on 21 December 2025.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean
June 20-26, 2025 Chileans got dressed up for a Gay Pride parade, cricket players from Australia and West Indies faced off on the Caribbean island of Barbados and Indigenous people in Bolivia and Ecuador marked the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice. Colombians who pick up trash to sell as recycled material blanketed Bogota's main plaza with plastic bottles to protest decreasing income and tougher conditions for scavengers, and Venezuelans carried Iranian flags at a demonstration organized by the government against Israel's war on Iran. Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse and received a 2-year suspended sentence. This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Leslie Mazoch based in Mexico City. ___ Follow AP visual journalism: AP Images blog:
Associated Press
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean
June 20-26, 2025 Chileans got dressed up for a Gay Pride parade, cricket players from Australia and West Indies faced off on the Caribbean island of Barbados and Indigenous people in Bolivia and Ecuador marked the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice. Colombians who pick up trash to sell as recycled material blanketed Bogota's main plaza with plastic bottles to protest decreasing income and tougher conditions for scavengers, and Venezuelans carried Iranian flags at a demonstration organized by the government against Israel's war on Iran. Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse and received a 2-year suspended sentence. This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Leslie Mazoch based in Mexico City. ___ Follow AP visual journalism: AP Images blog: Instagram:
RNZ News
20-06-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
The winter solstice in New Zealand is today. Here's how the shorter days of winter can affect your sleep patterns
By Georgie Hewson , ABC Photo: Unsplash+ Australia and New Zealand will have their "shortest day of the year" today as the Southern Hemisphere experiences the winter solstice. Where you are will determine just how much daylight you will get. The shortest day of the year can also impact your sleep. Here's what that means. Saturday, 21 June. According to , the exact moment the Southern Hemisphere is at its furthest tilt from the Sun will be at 2.42 pm (NZT). While the winter solstice is referred to as the shortest day and longest night of the year, it just means it is the day with the least amount of daylight hours. That's because it's when the Southern Hemisphere is at its furthest tilt away from the Sun, meaning we get less sunlight. At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere will be experiencing the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. This happens because the Earth tilts at about 23 degrees, meaning that when one side is closest to the Sun, the other side is furthest away. As the Earth does a lap around the Sun each year, different parts of the planet get more sunlight than others. The Earth's slight tilt is what gives us our seasons. Photo: Supplied / Bureau of Meteorology, Australia After Saturday, each day's total sunlight hours will get a fraction longer than the previous day until we reach the summer solstice on 22 December. According to the astronomical definition of the seasons, the winter solstice in some places marks the beginning of winter. But in Australia and New Zealand, where only meteorological seasons are observed, this is not the case. That's why the beginning of winter is 1 June here. In some cultures, the winter solstice is celebrated as a time of rebirth because the days get longer. Because it is getting dark so early and the days are shorter, some people may experience changes in their sleep schedule and quality. Elise McGlashan, from the University of Melbourne's John Trinder Sleep Laboratory, said shorter days and longer nights mean less sunlight, which can change circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm is the internal body clock that regulates sleep. Photo: AFP/Alexander Farnsworth "Those changes in sleep can also be accompanied by changes in timings and function of our internal clock, and the function of our clock is mainly driven by environmental light exposure," she said. "In summer, we know the sun might be up until it's close to someone's bedtime, and part of the reason people are sleeping a little longer is they aren't getting those light cues when they're trying to wind down. "But during winter, there is less light and more time to wind down." When there is less light exposure, the body produces more melatonin - a hormone that makes people feel sleepy - and less serotonin, which can lower mood and energy, leading to feeling tired or sluggish. As the sun comes up later, it may be tempting to sleep longer, but oversleeping can also impact health. McGlashan recommends getting outside for some sunlight during the day and letting sunlight into your bedroom in the mornings if possible. "Our rhythms need bright days and dark nights," she said. "It can be hard to motivate ourselves to go outside in winter, particularly in a really chilly location, but even on those overcast days, the light outside is going to be brighter than indoor lighting. "It's still really helpful for your body clock and sleep to get outdoor lighting every day." - ABC
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
The winter solstice in Australia is today. Here's how the shorter days of winter can affect your sleep patterns
Australia will have its "shortest day of the year" today as the southern hemisphere experiences the winter solstice. Where you are in Australia will determine just how much daylight you will get. The shortest day of the year can also impact your sleep. Here's what that means. Saturday, June 21. According to the exact moment the southern hemisphere is at its furthest tilt from the Sun will be at 12:42pm AEST. While the winter solstice is referred to as the shortest day and longest night of the year, it actually just means it is the day with the least amount of daylight hours. That's because it's when the southern hemisphere is at its furthest tilt away from the Sun, meaning we get less sunlight. At the same time, the northern hemisphere will be experiencing the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. This happens because the Earth tilts at about 23 degrees, meaning that when one side is closest to the Sun, the other side is furthest away. As the Earth does a lap around the Sun each year, different parts of the planet get more sunlight than others. After Saturday, each day's total sunlight hours will get a fraction longer than the previous day until we reach the summer solstice on December 22. According to the astronomical definition of the seasons, the winter solstice in some places marks the beginning of winter. But in Australia, where only meteorological seasons are observed, this is not the case. That's why the beginning of winter is June 1 here. In some cultures, the winter solstice is celebrated as a time of rebirth because the days get longer. Because it is getting dark so early and the days are shorter, some people may experience changes in their sleep schedule and quality. Elise McGlashan, from the University of Melbourne's John Trinder Sleep Laboratory, says shorter days and longer nights mean less sunlight, which can change circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm is the internal body clock that regulates sleep. "Those changes in sleep can also be accompanied by changes in timings and function of our internal clock and the function of our clock is mainly driven by environmental light exposure," she says. "In summer, we know the sun might be up until it's close to someone's bedtime, and part of the reason people are sleeping a little longer is they aren't getting those light cues when they're trying to wind down. "But during winter, there is less light and more time to wind down." When there is less light exposure, the body produces more melatonin — a hormone that makes people feel sleepy — and less serotonin, which can lower mood and energy, leading to feeling tired or sluggish. As the sun comes up later, it may be tempting to sleep longer but oversleeping can also impact health. Dr McGlashan recommends getting outside for some sunlight during the day and letting sunlight into your bedroom in the mornings if possible. "Our rhythms need bright days and dark nights," she says. "It can be hard to motivate ourselves to go outside in winter, particularly in a really chilly location, but even on those overcast days, the light outside is going to be brighter than indoor lighting. "It's still really helpful for your body clock and sleep to get outdoor lighting every day."
