Darkest week of the year approaches with winter solstice

Australia is about to be plunged into the darkest week of the year, thanks to the winter solstice.

The southern hemisphere's winter solstice will occur this coming Saturday on June 21, and it will be the shortest day and longest night of the year.

The times for sunrise and sunset on each of the major capitals is below:

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• Sydney: 7am sunrise and 4.54pm sunset
• Melbourne: 7.35am sunrise and 5.08pm sunset
• Brisbane: 6.37am sunrise and 5.02pm sunset
• Adelaide: 6.53am sunrise and 4.42pm sunset
• Hobart: 7.42am sunrise and 4.43pm sunset
• Canberra: 7.42am sunrise and 4.58pm sunset
• Darwin: 3.36am sunrise and 6pm sunset

Hobart will have the shortest day out of every state and territory, while Darwin will have the longest.

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The three days before and after the solstice will contribute to the seven-day period with the least amount of daylight all year, according to Weatherzone.

The week will last from June 18 to June 21.

Each hemisphere has a winter solstice, spaced six months apart.

"The winter solstice marks the date on which Earth's northern or southern hemisphere reaches its furthest tilt away from the sun," Weatherzone said.

You can tell when the southern hemisphere has reached its winter solstice because the sun appears to be at the lowest point in the sky when viewed from Earth's equator.

Weatherzone says days would begin to get longer and nights would start getting shorter in the six months following the solstice.