When the next equinox or solstice is, in your time zone, and how much daylight it brings.
Your answer
It falls at 20:50 UTC time, 49.4 days from now, and starts astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere. At latitude 40.7° (New York), daylight runs from about 9 h 15 min at the December solstice to 15 h 06 min at the June solstice.
| 2026 | Date and time (UTC) | Starts in the north | Starts in the south | Daylight at 40.7° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | Fri, 20 Mar 2026, 14:46 | spring | autumn | 12 h 09 min |
| June solstice | Sun, 21 June 2026, 08:25 | summer | winter | 15 h 06 min |
| September equinox | Wed, 23 Sept 2026, 00:06 | autumn | spring | 12 h 09 min |
| December solstice | Mon, 21 Dec 2026, 20:50 | winter | summer | 9 h 15 min |
The working
An equinox is the instant the Sun crosses the celestial equator (ecliptic longitude 0° or 180°); a solstice is when it reaches its furthest north or south (90° or 270°). The times come from an astronomy engine that follows Earth's real orbit, accurate to about a minute. Daylight uses the Sun's height at the solstice (±23.44°) and your latitude, counting from when the top of the Sun rises to when it sets.
Good to know
Questions
At 20:50 UTC on Monday 21 December 2026. That is 3:50 pm in New York, 8:50 pm in London and 7:50 am on Tuesday 22 December in Sydney. It is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest in the southern.
March equinox 20 March at 14:45 UTC, June solstice 21 June at 08:25, September equinox 23 September at 00:05, and December solstice 21 December at 20:50 UTC. The calculator shows them in your own time zone.
At an equinox the Sun is straight above the equator, so day and night are close to 12 hours everywhere. At a solstice the Sun is furthest north or south, giving the longest day in one hemisphere and the shortest in the other.
Earth is tilted 23.4°. When the northern half leans towards the Sun (June) it is summer there and winter in the south. In December the south leans in, so Christmas falls in summer in Australia.
It depends on latitude. London gets about 16 h 38 min in June and 7 h 50 min in December; New York 15 h 06 min and 9 h 15 min; Sydney about 9 h 54 min in June and 14 h 25 min in December.
Both are used. Weather services use meteorological seasons, which start on the 1st of a month (summer is June to August in the north, December to February in the south). Astronomical seasons start at the solstices and equinoxes.
Printout
The four dates and times for 2026 and the next year, in your time zone, with daylight at your latitude.
Times in UTC · daylight at latitude 40.7°
| Event | Date and time | North | South | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox 2026 | Fri, 20 Mar 2026, 14:46 | spring | autumn | 12 h 09 min |
| June solstice 2026 | Sun, 21 June 2026, 08:25 | summer | winter | 15 h 06 min |
| September equinox 2026 | Wed, 23 Sept 2026, 00:06 | autumn | spring | 12 h 09 min |
| December solstice 2026 | Mon, 21 Dec 2026, 20:50 | winter | summer | 9 h 15 min |
| March equinox 2027 | Sat, 20 Mar 2027, 20:25 | spring | autumn | 12 h 09 min |
| June solstice 2027 | Mon, 21 June 2027, 14:11 | summer | winter | 15 h 06 min |
| September equinox 2027 | Thu, 23 Sept 2027, 06:01 | autumn | spring | 12 h 09 min |
| December solstice 2027 | Wed, 22 Dec 2027, 02:42 | winter | summer | 9 h 15 min |
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