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Winter solstice: Why is today the shortest day of the year and how is it celebrated?Today is winter solstice, the shortest day of the calendar year in the UK with just seven hours and 49 minutes of daylight.This astronomical phenomenon occurs every year between 19 and 21 December in the run-up to Christmas as the northern hemisphere is tilted on the earth's axis at its furthest remove from the sun during our planet's 365-day progression around the solar system.All this means the UK experienced a late sunrise at 8.04am this morning and will see an early sunset at 3.53pm this afternoon.Historically, the solstice has been used to mark midwinter, the official start of winter, after which point the nights gradually begin to grow shorter as we approach the spring equinox on 20 March.Druids still gather at Stonehenge in the West Country to mark the occasion to this day, pagan revellers meeting at dawn to observe the morning sun rising over the ancient circle’s Heel Stone.Although the day symbolises the death of the old year, this is by no means a solemn occasion, with druids celebrating the renewal of life and rejoicing in a moment of seasonal rebirth.
Facebook ditches fake news warning flag
Apple's iPhones slowed to tackle ageing batteriesApple has confirmed the suspicions of many iPhone owners by revealing it does deliberately slow down some models of the iPhone as they age.Many customers have long suspected that Apple slows down older iPhones to encourage people to upgrade.The company has now said it does slow down some models as they age, but only because the phones' battery performance diminishes over time.Apple said it wanted to "prolong the life" of customers' devices.
Norway orders reindeer slaughter days before Christmas
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Topic: 21/12/17 (Read 1115 times)
