When does it start getting lighter in the UK? Date the days get longer, and mornings and nights get lighter

Dark and cold nights are now upon us as winter is in full swing. With most of us wrapped up in jumpers and boots, many are dreaming of warmer weather and the start of summer, which coincides with the annual Summer Solstice in June. And the good news is that following the Winter Solstice, things might be looking a bit brighter very soon.

But when will the days start getting longer and lighter again?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When does it start getting lighter?

After the shortest day of the year, things will start getting lighter again, as it will be the shortest day (amount of daylight) and longest night (amount of darkness) in 365 days. This day is officially known as the Winter Solstice across the entire Northern Hemisphere.

The Winter Solstice takes place on Wednesday 21 December 2022, which means it will gradually get lighter as the weeks progress.

What is the Winter Solstice?

During the Winter Solstice, the earth rotates on a tilted axis. When this axis leans towards the sun, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the south. This is then reversed as the earth continues on its orbit until the axis becomes tilted away from the sun.

During the solstice, the earth’s axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun. This means that for those in the northern hemisphere the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. From 22 December onward, the UK will then experience more daylight, which means brighter mornings and lighter evenings for longer.

However, this happens incrementally until 21 June 2023 - the Summer Solstice - which is the longest day of the year.

What is the Summer Solstice?

The Summer Solstice provides the most amount of daylight in one day for the entire year. From then on, evenings then start to get darker sooner again.

The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere and marks midsummer, which is the longest day and shortest night of the year.

On this day, the number of hours of daylight are at their maximum, while the number of hours of night are at their minimum. The Summer Solstice comes when whichever hemisphere you’re in is most tilted towards the Sun.