This year, astronomical winter starts on December 21 at 6:59 AKST.  The amount of daylight, as well as the timing of sunrise and sunset, vary considerably across the state on the shortest day of the year.  For example, locations north of the Arctic Circle will not see the sun rise on the solstice, while the Panhandle will have at least six hours of daylight.   Below are the sunrise and sunset times, as well as the day length, on December 21 for the cities of Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.