If you’re accessing this page from the Northern Hemisphere, welcome to the shortest day (and longest night) of the year! For you Southern Hemisphere folks, you get a long day of sunlight on this Solstice day. “Solstice” is a short version of the Latin word solstitium, which means “sun” stop”. The Sun doesn’t literally stop in the sky, but if you chart its position each day throughout the year, you notice that it rises and sets along the horizons. At summer solstice it rises and sets at its most northerly point (for Northern Hemi folks), and at winter, it’s at the most southerly points.
Anthony Ayiomamitis’s picture here shows the huge difference in sunrise points with respect to Earth’s surface throughout the year.