It's common to think that the days get shorter in the winter, but the opposite is true. The shortest day of the year is the first day of winter, after which the days get progressively longer. The first day of winter is called the winter solstice and it's an astronomical event which occurs this year in Arizona on Dec.

Why days are shorter in winter?

During the winter, the sun's rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle. The sun's rays are more spread out, which decreases the amount of energy that hits any given spot. The long nights and short days prevent the Earth from warming up.

Does winter have shorter days and longer nights?

The tilt of the Earth – not our distance from the sun – is what causes winter and summer. ... After the winter solstice, the days get longer, and the nights shorter. It's a seasonal shift that nearly everyone notices. Earth has seasons because our world is tilted on its axis with respect to our orbit around the sun.