Which one of the following statements with regard to the winter solstice is correct?

The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs around December 21 or 22 [2]. During this time, the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, resulting in the shortest day and longest night for the Northern Hemisphere [3]. Specifically, areas beyond the Arctic Circle experience complete darkness, and the North Pole itself undergoes 24 hours of darkness [3]. Conversely, the South Pole experiences 24 hours of daylight during this period as it is tilted toward the Sun [3]. June 21 marks the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere [4]. Regarding Earth's orbit, the planet reaches perihelion (closest to the Sun) in early January, shortly after the December solstice, while aphelion (farthest from the Sun) occurs in July, following the June solstice. Therefore, the statement that the North Pole experiences 24 hours of darkness is correct.

Sources

1. [1] Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.2.2 Seasons on the Earth > p. 179
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Winter Solstice > p. 253
3. [3] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
4. [4] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252