1:08 a.m.: Winter solstice in eastern time zone, Dec. 22

3 million: Number of miles nearer the Earth is to the sun in January than it is in June

23, 27: Degrees and minutes of the Earth’s tilt away from the sun in winter

12: Number of days ancient Mesopotamians celebrated the solstice

5,000: Age in years of Newgrange, a stone structure in Ireland built to receive a shaft of sunlight at dawn on winter solstice

Source: Candlegrove.com