Today is the shortest day of the year, with only nine hours of daylight. The winter solstice is December 21st. Today’s sunrise was at 7:37 a.m. and the sunset is at 4:47 p.m. The solstice marks the shortest day of the year for the planet’s Northern Hemisphere. It is at this point in the year, with the Earth’s tilt, that our Northern Hemisphere is leaning furthest from the sun. Also, it is the start of a new moon.