This year, the winter solstice fell early on Sunday morning, which means that from now on the days are getting longer and nights shorter.

This is especially good news for the far north of Norway, where many parts are experiencing polar nights at the moment – when the sun doesn't rise at all for several weeks.

Although the winter solstice marks the start of the change towards longer days, it will take a while to feel any effect.

“It changes quite gradually. Here in Tromsø, for example, we still won't see the sun for about a month,” meteorologist Charalampos Sarchosidis at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute told news agency NTB.

“You may not notice it until the first days of January. But we’re certainly headed towards lighter times,” he added.

The winter solstice falls when the Earth tilts the furthest away from the Sun on its axis. In the Northern Hemisphere this usually happens around December 21st-23rd every year.

For comparison, in Oslo the sun will set at 3:13pm on Monday December 23rd and rise at 9:19am on Christmas Eve. Six months ago on Midsummer's Eve, it rose at 3:53am and set at 10:43pm. These times will come again.

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