The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere.

The solstice also marks the start of the Pagan holiday, Yule, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The holiday is thought to celebrate the sun's return and the land's rebirth as days begin to ...

But although the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice gets an entire day of recognition, it happens in an instant, when the North Pole is at its farthest tilt of 23.5 degrees away from the sun.

Though the winter solstice marks the shortest day of each year, it also signals an increase in the amount of sunlight each ...