At this time of year, the days are shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. The photo was taken aboard the Coast Guard vessel Þór in the Viðey Sound. Captain Eiríkur Ingi Bragason is seen monitoring operations from the bridge.
mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
Tomorrow, Sunday 21 December, at precisely 15:03:01, a moment many consider magical will arrive: the winter solstice.
At present, the sun is above the horizon in Iceland for just under four hours a day, but it will soon begin to climb higher. At first, this happens very slowly, with daylight increasing by only a few seconds at a time — just a hen’s step.
On the first day after the solstice, daylight in Reykjavík increases by eight seconds. On the second day, it lengthens by a further 25 seconds, and on the third day by 42 seconds. These are the capital’s so-called “hen’s steps.”
In his calendar notes, astronomer Þorsteinn Sæmundsson explains that solstices (solar standstills) mark the moment when the sun reaches its greatest distance north or south of the celestial equator.