WHILE some Australians braved icy waters for a nude solstice swim, others welcomed the winter solstice by taking some of the most beautiful photos.

Today is the Winter Solstice, meaning it is the shortest day of the entire year.

Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide will all see less than 10 hours of sunlight today, while Brisbane, and Perth will see under 10 and a half.

Those in Hobart will see nine hours of sun today, where 752 people took part in the nude solstice swim.

MORE: The nude solstice swim in Hobart

The event, organised by the Museum of Old and New Art as part of its winter festival, Dark Mofo, didn’t kill the vibe as people of all ages, shapes and sizes dropped their towels to be at one with nature and embrace the 11 degree Celsius “awakening” of the Derwent River at sunrise. Meanwhile, residents in Darwin will get 11 and a half hours of sunlight.

The Winter Solstice occurs due to the tilt of earth’s axis. Among other things, this tilt is responsible for the change in seasons. In winter, this tilt means we don’t get as much direct sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere, generally making the days gradually cooler.

At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere gets plenty of sunlight, and so this period becomes their summer.

See more photos of how Australia welcomed the winter solstice below:

Winter Solstice (was at 02:38 this morning) shortest daylight - longest night - most northerly declination of the Sun pic.twitter.com/sKLhZDo7XP — S.E. QLD Astronomy (@SE_QLD_Astro) June 21, 2015

It's the winter solstice! From today every day gets a little longer and summer gets a little closer. #bringbacksummer pic.twitter.com/gGkAuSrPl4 — Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) June 22, 2015