The Winter Solstice, which is known as the shortest day of the year, happens this year at 11:28 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. So now that winter is upon us, here are 8 facts about the December Solstice you might not know: 1. It happens at a specific time The winter solstice isn't the full day of Dec. 21, but rather occurs at a specific time. At that point, the sun is shining farthest to the south, directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Of course, the sun isn't actually moving, the Earth is. At 12:11 p.m. ET, the North... read more