Credit score: Pixabay/ AlainAudet
With snow already flying throughout a few of the nation, it might be laborious to consider that winter doesn’t formally arrive till the Dec. 21 solstice. The winter solstice — the exact second when the Solar seems farthest south within the sky — occurs at 10:21 p.m. EST in 2023 within the Northern Hemisphere, in line with the Nationwide Climate Service.
All through the Northern Hemisphere, the day of the solstice has the fewest hours of attainable daylight and the night time has probably the most midnights. (Within the Southern Hemisphere, the place this solstice marks the start of summer season, days are actually longest and nights shortest.) But the earliest sundown and newest dawn of the 12 months don’t coincide with the shortest day. This occurs as a result of Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not a perfect circle and the lean of our planet’s axis isn’t aligned with the solstice.
The precise dates of the earliest sundown and newest dawn rely upon latitude, however the sequence all the time stays the identical: earliest sundown, shortest day, and newest dawn. At 40° north latitude, the earliest sundown comes round Dec. 7 and the newest dawn round Jan. 4. The dates are nearer collectively at greater latitudes and farther aside at decrease latitudes.
The Solar’s southerly place causes two different noticeable results. First, noontime shadows seem longer on the solstice than at some other time of 12 months. You may show this to your self through the use of a constructing or different steady construction — even a well-anchored stick within the floor will work — and marking the size of its shadow on the bottom at native midday (when the Solar lies due south). The shadow shall be longest on the day of the solstice.
Associated: The National Weather Service on the seasons and winter solstice
Second, the Solar rises and units farthest south on the solstice. Merely discover a spot with a transparent view of the horizon towards both the southeast or southwest. Then repair the place of the Solar relative to a handy landmark because it rises or units for a couple of weeks across the solstice. You’ll discover the Solar seems farthest south on the solstice.
It might come as a shock that in lots of cultures, this darkish and dreary time of 12 months marked an event to have fun the Solar. Folks in Mesopotamia, Persia, Babylon, and even historical Greece and Rome all held celebrations in late December and early January, rejoicing on the Solar’s impending conquer darkness. The life-giving Solar had “bottomed out” and was starting its lengthy march again to the north, foreshadowing hotter climate sooner or later.
