Early Saturday morning, the arrival of the 2024 winter solstice marked the astronomical start of winter and was greeted with correspondingly cold temperatures.

The event also marks the shortest day of the year, when the sunrise and sunset times are closest together, in contrast to the longest day of the year, which occurs near the summer solstice.

With some of the shortest days of the year ahead, here’s what you need to know about the winter solstice and sunrise and sunset times in the Chicago area.

When will the sun rise and set in Chicago this week?

According to timeanddate.com, Saturday marks the shortest day of the year with a daylight length of nine hours, seven minutes and 44 seconds, a sunrise at 7:15 a.m. and a sunset at 4:22 p.m.

The long-awaited extension of days finally begins on Sunday – although you probably won’t notice the change for a while.

Here’s a look at the sunrise and sunset times for the next few days as Christmas and Hanukkah approach. The times initially only change by seconds each day, before more noticeable changes occur towards the turn of the year.

• Sunday, December 22nd: 7:15 a.m. to 4:23 p.m
• Monday, December 23rd: 7:15 a.m. to 4:23 p.m
• Tuesday, December 24th: 7:16 a.m. to 4:24 p.m
• Wednesday, December 25th: 7:16 a.m. to 4:25 p.m

By New Year’s Eve, the length of daylight will be nine hours, 11 minutes and 31 seconds, almost four minutes longer than Saturday.

What is the winter solstice?

The first day of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which for 2024 occurs on Saturday, December 21st.

“The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunshine of the year, making it the “shortest day” of the year,” says the Old Farmers Almanac. “Fortunately, once we reach the winter solstice, the days become longer and longer until we reach the summer solstice – the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.”

When is the winter solstice?

According to the National Weather Service, this year’s winter solstice occurred on Saturday, December 21, at 3:21 a.m. Central Standard Time.

However, the winter solstice lasts not a day, but just a moment when the hemisphere is as far away from the sun as possible, says the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Can you see the winter solstice?

Somehow.

Every day the sun traces a path across the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west. As the winter solstice approaches and the number of hours of sunshine per day decreases, the sun’s path sinks lower into the sky but follows the same general arc.

When the winter solstice comes, the sun is as low in the sky as possible.

This causes the shadow you cast to become longer and longer as the winter solstice approaches. Even though solstices aren’t nearly as visible as eclipses, if you go outside at midday on the winter solstice, your shadow will be the longest of the entire year.

When will the days get longer?

While the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, it also means more sunlight on the way.

Chicago will still be getting brighter each day around New Year’s Day, but sunrise will occur at the latest point of the year, with the sun rising at around 7:18 a.m. each day.

By the end of January, Chicago will gain two minutes of daylight per day, and sunset will occur after 5 p.m. for the first time since the end of daylight saving time on November 3rd.

January 30 will also be the date when Chicago eclipses 10 hours of daylight, with increasing increases as the winter progresses.