Today's the Winter Solstice (Hibernal Solstice) and is also known as Midwinter!
So, what's it all about?
* Is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the
longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere while the reverse is true in the southern
hemisphere.
* More evident at the higher latitudes where the Sun's maximum elevation in the sky is at its
lowest.
* Most people count the whole day as the December Solstice. However, the Solstice is at a
specific moment - when the Sun is exactly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn.
* The December Solstice can happen on the 20th, the 21st, the 22nd or the 23rd of December.
For example, the last 23 Dec Solstice was in 1903 and will occur next, only in 2303!
* The term, 'Solstice' comes from the Latin word, 'Solstitium' meaning 'the Sun stands still'. This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southern most position as seen from the Earth. It seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then, reverses its direction.
* The Earth is on its Perihelion - the point on the Earth's orbit closest to the Sun, two weeks
after the December Solstice and farthest at its Aphelion, about two weeks after the June Solstice!
Tailpiece.
Subi, the boy who comes periodically to wash down the overhead fresh water tanks, dropped by without prior notice. Was he in need of money? Since he'd arrived, I gave him the clearance to go ahead. After the cleaning of the filter tank, he reported that the lid of the final receptacle tank was missing and that it required cleaning. The lid must have been blown off by the strong winds, sometime, in between. He'll come with a new lid tomorrow and I've given him an advance of Rs.500/- for the purpose!
So, what's it all about?
* Is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the
longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere while the reverse is true in the southern
hemisphere.
* More evident at the higher latitudes where the Sun's maximum elevation in the sky is at its
lowest.
* Most people count the whole day as the December Solstice. However, the Solstice is at a
specific moment - when the Sun is exactly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn.
* The December Solstice can happen on the 20th, the 21st, the 22nd or the 23rd of December.
For example, the last 23 Dec Solstice was in 1903 and will occur next, only in 2303!
* The term, 'Solstice' comes from the Latin word, 'Solstitium' meaning 'the Sun stands still'. This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southern most position as seen from the Earth. It seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then, reverses its direction.
* The Earth is on its Perihelion - the point on the Earth's orbit closest to the Sun, two weeks
after the December Solstice and farthest at its Aphelion, about two weeks after the June Solstice!
Tailpiece.
Subi, the boy who comes periodically to wash down the overhead fresh water tanks, dropped by without prior notice. Was he in need of money? Since he'd arrived, I gave him the clearance to go ahead. After the cleaning of the filter tank, he reported that the lid of the final receptacle tank was missing and that it required cleaning. The lid must have been blown off by the strong winds, sometime, in between. He'll come with a new lid tomorrow and I've given him an advance of Rs.500/- for the purpose!
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