Tuesday morning marks the changing of the season, as the Winter Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 9:59 a.m.

That means today is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight north of the Equator. Solar noon, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, comes nearly 10 minutes earlier in early December than it does on the Solstice.

So the true noon happening later in the sun’s journey means sunrise and sunset times do the same. The latest sunrise will happen in early January.

The good news is that after the Winter Solstice the days get longer, as the March Equinox brings springtime.