Equinox vs Solstice
I have been discussing sizes and measurements lately, but today (December 21) is the Winter Solstice, so I thought I would digress and chat about that.
To begin with, the equinoxes and solstices are both related to the length of time between sunset and sunrise. All of that is determined by the Earth’s axis and equator. Artic Maps has a good visual explanation. To understand how it all works just think about the days getting longer and shorter throughout the year.
The shortest day of the year is the first day of winter. That is also the Winter Solstice. As the days get longer, eventually there is a day that has “equal” time between sunset and sunrise. “Equal” is the root word in Equinox, so the Spring Equinox is the day in the spring when the time between sunset and sundown are “equal”.
In the summer, the longest day comes around. That is the first official day of summer and it is also the Summer Solstice. Continuing from there, the days start getting shorter until day and night are “equal” again and that is the Fall Equinox. Three months later we are back to the shortest day, which is also the Winter Solstice
Okay, that puts them in order, but there are still some fun facts to observe. For starters all four days are three months apart and they nearly always fall on the 20th thru the 23rd of the respective months (December, March, June and September) . Specific dates are on the Wikipedia chart.
During the Spring Equinox, you can stand a raw egg strait up. Be sure to hold the egg upright for a few minutes to let the yolk settle. Then be patient. It is best to use a chart like the one previously mentioned to pick the exact best time of the day for this exercise. Mark your calendar for March 20, 2010, 5:32 pm Eastern. If you wish to help a youngster to balance an egg this way, it might be helpful to hide a few granules of salt under the egg.
Once you get use to these dates they come to you just as automatically as December 25th or July 4th.
A little history about solstice
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1 comment:
Most folks don't pay that much attention to when the sun goes down (including me until now). If you ask them, they usually miss by at least an hour. Since you have trouble with your eyes, I know you are particularly careful about knowing when the sun goes down. My golfing addiction has changed my attention. Since golf is a 3 1/2 to 5 hour affair, you must be very careful on when you pick your tee time (especially now) to be sure you will finish. I also watch the weather closer than some seniors now. Interesting how your habits change with different hobbies.
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