Solstice Winter , 06-21-06
Tuesday, 20. June 2006, 16:13:48
In astronomy, the winter solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most inclined away from the Sun. This causes the Sun to appear at its farthest below the celestial equator when viewed from the far hemisphere. Solstice is a Latin borrowing and means "sun stand still", referring to the appearance that the Sun's noontime elevation change stops its progress, either northerly or southerly. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on December 21/December 22, which is the southern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Capricorn, roughly 23.5 degrees South of the earth's equator. In the southern hemisphere, winter solstice falls on June 21/June 22, which is the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Cancer.
Since the winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were probably observed for the first time by people in the northern hemisphere, these naming conventions originally corresponded to the northern hemisphere's seasons. In most reckonings, the winter solstice is midwinter.
In Ireland's calendars, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at about midpoint in each season. For example, winter begins on November 1, and ends on January 31. The passage and chamber of Newgrange, a tomb in Ireland, are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn from the 19th to the 23rd of December.
In the Chinese calendar, the winter solstice too marks midwinter and is called dōng zhì (冬至, "winter's extreme"). It is traditionally regarded as one of the year's most important jiéqìs (solar terms), comparable to Chinese New Year. Rather confusingly, the character zhì may also mean "arrival" in other contexts (here it means "extreme"), but it is clear that the Chinese consider "winter's arrival" (立冬, lì dōng, literally "establishment of winter") to be a separate jiéqì which falls on or around November 7 instead.
The winter solstice is the time when the Germanic festival of Yule was celebrated; it is celebrated today by Ásatrúar and is recognized by some Neopagan groups as a Neopagan Sabbat. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near (within a few days) the winter solstice; examples of these include Yalda, Saturnalia, Christmas, Karachun, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Zamenhof Day. The first civilization to celebrate the winter solstice were the Ancient Persians, deriving from their Zoroastrian religion.
See also: List of winter festivals
Through an interesting coincidence in the Earth's orbit, the northern hemisphere's winter occurs roughly when the sun is actually closest to the earth (Perihelion is actually on or about January 4). Conversely, the northern summer is when the sun is farthest from the earth. However, the distance from the sun doesn't affect the seasons on Earth to a measurable amount, since Earth's eliptical orbit is almost circular. In general it's the angle of the sun's rays and the number of hours of light per day that affect the seasons in most regions of the planet's surface.
The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. At the time of the summer solstice, Earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, causing the sun to appear at 23.45 degrees above the celestial equator, thus making its highest path across the sky. The summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest daylight period and hence the shortest night. This day usually occurs on June 21/June 22 in the northern hemisphere and on December 21/December 22 in the southern hemisphere. The actual date changes due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year.
In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on December 21/December 22, which is the southern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Capricorn, roughly 23.5 degrees South of the earth's equator. In the southern hemisphere, winter solstice falls on June 21/June 22, which is the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Cancer.
Since the winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were probably observed for the first time by people in the northern hemisphere, these naming conventions originally corresponded to the northern hemisphere's seasons. In most reckonings, the winter solstice is midwinter.
In Ireland's calendars, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at about midpoint in each season. For example, winter begins on November 1, and ends on January 31. The passage and chamber of Newgrange, a tomb in Ireland, are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn from the 19th to the 23rd of December.
In the Chinese calendar, the winter solstice too marks midwinter and is called dōng zhì (冬至, "winter's extreme"). It is traditionally regarded as one of the year's most important jiéqìs (solar terms), comparable to Chinese New Year. Rather confusingly, the character zhì may also mean "arrival" in other contexts (here it means "extreme"), but it is clear that the Chinese consider "winter's arrival" (立冬, lì dōng, literally "establishment of winter") to be a separate jiéqì which falls on or around November 7 instead.
The winter solstice is the time when the Germanic festival of Yule was celebrated; it is celebrated today by Ásatrúar and is recognized by some Neopagan groups as a Neopagan Sabbat. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near (within a few days) the winter solstice; examples of these include Yalda, Saturnalia, Christmas, Karachun, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Zamenhof Day. The first civilization to celebrate the winter solstice were the Ancient Persians, deriving from their Zoroastrian religion.
See also: List of winter festivals
Through an interesting coincidence in the Earth's orbit, the northern hemisphere's winter occurs roughly when the sun is actually closest to the earth (Perihelion is actually on or about January 4). Conversely, the northern summer is when the sun is farthest from the earth. However, the distance from the sun doesn't affect the seasons on Earth to a measurable amount, since Earth's eliptical orbit is almost circular. In general it's the angle of the sun's rays and the number of hours of light per day that affect the seasons in most regions of the planet's surface.
The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. At the time of the summer solstice, Earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, causing the sun to appear at 23.45 degrees above the celestial equator, thus making its highest path across the sky. The summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest daylight period and hence the shortest night. This day usually occurs on June 21/June 22 in the northern hemisphere and on December 21/December 22 in the southern hemisphere. The actual date changes due to differences between the calendar year and the tropical year.
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