According to EarthSky, the winter solstice occurs in a flash on Tuesday December 21, 2022i at 10:59 a.m. EST or 15:59 GMT. At that time, the North Pole was at its furthest tilt of 23.5 degrees from the sun. (Read also; Makes goosebumps, this is the appearance of the face of the smoldering sun )
This position makes the Arctic region beyond the reach of the sun and makes it fall into total darkness. “It also means we are getting closer to the end of the year and a new beginning!” wrote livescience quoted by SINDOnews Wednesday (22/12/2021)
In the southern hemisphere, the sun will shine directly overhead at noon or exactly at a position 23.5 degrees south of the equator. The sun moves along an imaginary latitude known as the Tropic of Capricorn, which runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil and northern South Africa.
“This is when the sun appears to be at its southernmost point in the sky, so the southern hemisphere has the longest day of the year. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, which experiences the shortest day of the year, on the December solstice,” according to EarthSky.
According to NASA, at the equinox, the sun will reach the southernmost position in the sky in the northern hemisphere. After that time, the sun will stop moving south and will start its journey north. This phenomenon is called the Latin “solstice” which means “silent sun”.
After the winter solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere the days will begin to lengthen. But that doesn’t mean the temperature will rise right away. In contrast, northern mid-latitudes will experience partly winter, as they experience about 9 hours of daylight in the weeks following the winter solstice.
In contrast to the summer solstice, which makes daylight last about 15 hours. In addition, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, making it colder. (Read also; Touch the Sun for the First Time, This NASA Spacecraft Breaks the Temperature of 1,370 Degrees Celsius )
The phenomenon of the winter solstice in ancient cultures is well documented, the most famous of which is Stonehenge in England. When the sun sets on the shortest day of the year, the sun’s rays align with the stone of the central altar of Stonehenge.
On Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, right in the rock-walled city of Tulum also has a structure honoring the solstice by the ancient Mayans. As the sun rises on the winter and summer solstices, its rays shine through a small hole at the top of one of the stone structures, creating the effect of a star explosion.
(Web)
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