The December (or Southern) Solstice this year falls on Tuesday 22 December,
when the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky. This is the
shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is known
as the Winter Solstice and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere,
where it is known as the Summer Solstice. At very high latitudes the sun
may not rise (Northern Hemisphere) or set (Southern Hemisphere) for
several weeks on either side of the Southern Solstice.
The solstices are entirely a product of variation in the Earth's
rotation on its axis, which is at an angle of 23.5° to the plain of the
Earth's orbit about the Sun. This means that in December the Earth's
Southern Pole is tilted towards the Sun, while the Northern Pole is
tilted away from it. This means that around the Southern Solstice the
Southern Hemisphere is receiving radiation from the Sun over a longer
part of the than the Northern, and at a steeper angle (so that it to
pass through less atmosphere to reach the planet), creating the southern
summer and northern winter.
The tilt of the Earth during the December Solstice. Wikimedia Commons.
The solstices are fairly noticeable astronomical events, and tied to the
seasons which govern the life cycles of life on Earth, and they have
been celebrated under different names by cultures across the globe, but
most notably by those at higher latitudes, who are more profoundly
affected by the changes of the seasons.
See also...
Eclipse of the Supermoon. A
total Lunar Eclipse will occur on 28 September 2015, starting at about
ten minutes past midnight GMT. It will be visible across much of Western
Europe and...
September Equinox 2015. The
September Equinox will fall on Friday 23 September 2015, when the day
and night will be of equal length in both of the Earth's hemispheres. The
Earth's seasons are driven by the tilt of the planet, but the planet
does not, as is generally assumed, tilt back and forth over the course
of a year. Rather it remains at a constant...
Partial Solar Eclipse to be visible from Southern Africa, Madagascar and Antarctica on 13 September 2015. A partial Solar Eclipse will occur on Sunday 13 September 2015, visible
from all of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland,
Zimbabwe and Reunion Island and parts of Angola, Zambia, Mozambique,
Madagascar and Antarctica. The eclipse will occur between 4.41 am and
9.06 am GMT.
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
