Longest Night of the Year: Winter Solstice Begins on December 21st in Bahrain

TDT | Manama
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Astronomer Mohammad Redha Al-Asfour has clarified that despite the recent drop in temperatures across Bahrain due to a cold wave, winter has not officially begun. The astronomical start of winter, marked by the Winter Solstice, will occur on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at precisely 12:20 PM local time in Bahrain.

Al-Asfour explained that during the winter solstice, the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky before beginning its gradual journey back north. This results in the shortest daylight hours and the longest night of the year. In Bahrain, the sun will rise at 6:20 AM from the southeastern horizon and set at 4:50 PM in the southwestern sky, providing 10.5 hours of daylight and 13.5 hours of nighttime.

He further noted that winter is the shortest season in the Northern Hemisphere, lasting about 88 days, 23 hours, and 39 minutes. During this period, the sun’s rays strike the Tropic of Cancer at a steeper angle, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer, which is also its shortest season.

The phenomenon of the four seasons, Al-Asfour explained, is caused by the Earth’s 23.5-degree axial tilt as it orbits the sun in an elliptical path. This tilt affects the angle and intensity of sunlight, leading to the seasonal changes experienced worldwide.