Each morning Karen and I walk the dogs, the later in the year it gets the darker it becomes. We both conclude it will be good when it starts getting lighter again. It is not exactly like wishing your life away but it does go against one of my basic tenets. The discussion turns to the exact time and meaning. This year the winter solstice in this hemisphere happens at 4:28 on the 21st. The event is marked by the sun’s seasonal movement in its daily path, its declination, stops. My two high school years of Latin needed to be updated as “sol” is sun and “sisters” is to stand still. The winter event occurs when the sun is directly overhead if the Tropic of Capricorn, or 23.5 degrees south latitude. The converse of this shortest day for the deeper thinkers might be that Tuesday night was the longest night of the year. If you were in McCall or even better the new Dark Sky area in central Idaho you could have taken advantage of the amazing star patterns in the sky.
Is the shortest day the coldest? Just because it is the shortest day of winter, the coldest months are yet to come, so we have that to anticipate or rue. This seasonal lag is created by the Earth’s massive oceans which absorb the sun’s energy and release it slowly, same reason the warmer temperatures in the summer are delayed. If you wondered why it is so cold in San Francisco, surround a place on three sides by water and the temperature is affected. All of these interesting facts are outlined in a recent article by Brad Plummer including his theories on Stonehenge, the effects of tribal friction on the earth’s rotation and the slowing that is occurring, and the amazing NASA, a full wave multi wavelength extreme ultraviolet image of the sun.
Interesting how much you can learn with a few clicks on the computer. I am trying to appreciate and enjoy each day as it comes and thank the limitless heavens for friends, family and the rights we enjoy.
Seasons best to each of you and “don’t go wishing your life away.” Mike