The Northern Hemisphere welcomed winter on Sunday with the year’s longest night, as the December solstice marked the official start of the season.
The solstice occurs when the sun’s rays fall directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, giving the Northern Hemisphere its narrowest angle of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere its longest day and the start of summer.
In Turkey, Sinop recorded the longest night at about 15 hours and 6 minutes due to its northern latitude. Hatay, the country’s southernmost province, had the shortest long night at roughly 14 hours.
Experts say daylight will gradually increase from Dec. 21 until the spring equinox on March 21.
The longer path sunlight travels through the atmosphere during winter contributes to greater energy loss and a general cooling trend across the Northern Hemisphere.