Astronomical winter begins this Sunday, December 21st at 4:03 p.m. Peninsular Time, according to calculations by the National Astronomical Observatory (National Geographic Institute – Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda). This season will last approximately 88 days and 23 hours and will end on March 20, 2026 with the beginning of spring.
There will be a total of three full moons in winter: January 3rd, February 1st and March 3rd. In addition, there will be two meteor showers: the Ursids, whose maximum is expected around December 22nd, and the Quadrantids, whose maximum is expected around January 3rd.
This day – Sunday – will be the day of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. At Madrid’s latitude it will last nine hours and 17 minutes (for comparison, the summer solstice – the longest day of the year – was on June 21 and lasted 15 hours and three minutes).
The state agency has stated that perihelion will occur on January 3rd. At this point, the maximum annual approach between Earth and the Sun, the distance to the star will be just over 147 million kilometers (km). In comparison, that is about five million fewer than at the time of the greatest distance between the Earth and the Sun (aphelion), which will take place on July 6, 2026.
Apart from that, the National Astronomical Observatory has declared that there will be two eclipses in the winter, an annular solar eclipse and another total lunar eclipse, and that neither will be visible from Spain. The first occurs on February 17 and the annular phase can be observed from Antarctica, the Antarctic Ocean and the southern Indian Ocean. The second broadcast will take place on March 3rd and will be broadcast from the Americas, East Asia and Oceania.
In addition, he detailed that during the season, the planet Saturn can be seen at dusk, joining Jupiter in early January and Venus from mid-February. As the months pass, Saturn approaches the Sun and disappears from the evening sky at the beginning of March. On the contrary, Mercury will appear in the evening sky throughout February.
On the other hand, winter begins in the sky at dawn, with Jupiter and Mercury visible. The latter will disappear from the morning sky in early January and reappear in mid-March, while the giant planet will no longer be visible around mid-January.
In addition to the various planets, the state agency has stated that the dusk sky this time of year will feature constellations such as Orion with the bright (and variable) Betelgeuse, Taurus with the reddish Aldebaran, Canis Major with Sirius, the night’s brightest star, and Gemini with the pair Castor and Pollux. Apparently, the union of some of these stars with other neighboring stars forms an asterism known as the winter hexagon because it is characteristic of the twilight of the season.
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