Which event marks the shortest daylight period in the year for the northern hemisphere?

Which event marks the shortest daylight period in the year for the northern hemisphere?

• A. Solstice
• B. Equinox
• C. Perihelion
• D. Aphelion

Answer: (A)

The amount of daylight depends on how Earth's tilt causes the Sun’s path to arc across the sky. The shortest daylight happens when the Sun’s path is lowest, which is at the winter solstice. In the northern hemisphere that event occurs around December 21–22, so the Sun rises late and sets early, giving the least daylight of the year. Equinoxes are when day and night are roughly equal, not the minimum. Perihelion and aphelion are about Earth’s distance from the Sun and affect energy received, but they don’t determine the length of daylight.

The amount of daylight depends on how Earth's tilt causes the Sun’s path to arc across the sky. The shortest daylight happens when the Sun’s path is lowest, which is at the winter solstice. In the northern hemisphere that event occurs around December 21–22, so the Sun rises late and sets early, giving the least daylight of the year. Equinoxes are when day and night are roughly equal, not the minimum. Perihelion and aphelion are about Earth’s distance from the Sun and affect energy received, but they don’t determine the length of daylight.