This Sunday will be the shortest day of the year in Australia based on the amount of daylight we see across the country.

The winter solstice occurs at 7:43am EST on Sunday, marking the moment the Earth's southern hemisphere reaches its furthest tilt away from the sun.

Image: The orientation of Earth relative to the sun on the date of the southern hemisphere's winter solstice.

For people in Australia, the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky on the day of the solstice, making this the day with the shortest time between sunrise and sunset.

After the date of the solstice, days will gradually become longer in Australia in terms of daylight hours. This trend will continue for the next six months until the summer solstice occurs on December 21st.

From the perspective of people on Earth, the sun will start getting higher in the sky follwing the solstice.

The changing tilt of Earth relative to the sun throughout the year is what causes the change in seasons around the world. Some cultures use the dates of the solctices to mark the beginning of winter and summer.