*This post was written mostly with apprentices in mind. Use the charts and info I have included to cross reference the knowledge needed.

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Winter solstice (From Latin solstitium, from sol ‘sun’ + stit- ‘stopped, stationary’) is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice

 

…and in the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice

 

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The equinox occurs twice a year. The vernal equinox happens around March 21, when the sun moves north across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22nd or 23rd, when the sun crosses the celestial equator going south. The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.”

 Solstice: Either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator: about June 21, when the sun reaches its northernmost point on the celestial sphere, or about December 22, when it reaches its southernmost point.

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