Google is back with a new doodle, this time celebrating Winter Solstice 2019. The latest Google Doodle marks Winter Solstice, which is the day having the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the whole year. In case you are unaware, the word “solstice” is originated from the Latin Sol (“sun”) and Sistere (“to stand still”). So basically this means that “sun stands still,” when the “movement of sun’s path” stops briefly.
The Google doodle basically represents the first day of Winter Solstice in 2019, which has the shortest day with the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. It happens either on the December 21 or December 22 every year. The search is celebrating the beginning of the winter season with a snowy doodle. This year winter begins from December 22 and will continue till March 20, 2020.
This astronomical event is decided on the basis of the position of the earth at this point of the year. It happens when the Sun’s elevation with respect to Earth is at the lowest value, which results in the longest night and shortest day on Northern hemisphere and the longest day and shortest night on South Pole of Earth. In simple words, on this day the sun is at its greatest height from the South Pole.
The popular astronomical phenomenon occurs twice every year, once in each hemisphere of the earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s called December Solstice (typically occurring between 20th and 22nd days of December). In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s known as June Solstice (generally occurring between the 20th and 22nd days of June).
Besides, in November this year, Google Doodle marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Doodle depicted the beginning of the German unification. On the evening of November 9 in 1989, the crowds gathered at the Berlin Wall roared “Tor auf!” (“Open the gate!”). It marks a peaceful revolution signaling the simultaneous end of the Cold War and the beginning of German reunification.
