Google Doodle on Monday, 21 December, is celebrating the Winter Solstice – the shortest day and the longest night of the year – a phenomena that occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
The animated Google Doodle exhibits Great Conjunction, wherein the Saturn and Jupiter meet up for a high five, and the Winter Solstice as the literally "snow capped" Earth watches the other two planets.
The word “solstice” originated from Latin srolstitum meaning “sun stands still”. In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice takes place between 19 December and 23 December.
This year's Winter Solstice coincides with another special astronomical event - the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn. This is the first time the two gas giants will appear this close to each other in nearly 800 years.
Although Jupiter and Saturn have been approaching one another in Earth's sky since the summer, the two will be separated by less than the diameter of a full moon from 16-25 December.
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