The winter solstice, the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year arrived today, officially at 5:02 a.m.
Although all day today is the solstice, it technically is the moment the North Pole is aimed farthest away from the sun on the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s axis, which is also the time when the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.
It’s also the day each year with the shortest daylight period. Daylight has been decreasing since the summer solstice on June 21.
From today until June 20 – the summer solstice, the longest day of the year – days will get longer. Day length is 10 hours 30 minutes and 9 seconds. Day length a week from today, on Monday, December 28, will be 10 hours 31 minutes and 8 seconds. And, on June 20, 2021, day length will be 13 hours 46 minutes and 41 seconds.
Sunrise was at 7:04 a.m. today. Sunset will occur at 5:34 p.m.
The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year and can fall anywhere from December 20-23, but the 21st and 22nd are the most common dates. The reason for this is because the tropical year – the time it takes for the sun to return to the same spot relative to Earth – is different from the calendar year.
The word solstice derives from the Latin word solstitium, which translates to “sun standing.” This is because at the moment of solstice, the sun’s position in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, which increases and decreases throughout the year, appears to pause in the days surrounding the solstice.
In modern times, we view the phenomenon of the solstice from the position of space, and of the Earth relative to the Sun. Earlier people, however, were thinking about the Sun’s trajectory, how long it stayed in the sky and what sort of light it cast.
All of that is based on the astronomical system for the four seasons, which is based on the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun.
The start of winter and summer is marked by a solstice, which is the point when the Sun reaches the most southerly or northerly point in the sky.
The start of spring and fall is marked by an equinox, which is the point when the Sun passes over the Earth’s equator.
Meteorological seasons, which are based on the annual temperature cycle and the calendar, each begin on the first day of a month. Winter begins December 1, spring on March 1, summer on June 1 and fall on September 1.
The meteorological system allows for easier year-to-year recordkeeping because the first day of each season is always the same.
For many ancient civilizations that lived their daily lives in much closer association with nature than we do today, winter solstice was a hugely important point each year.
Druids saw it as a time of death and quick rebirth. Old Sun died at dusk on the day of winter solstice and New Sun is born the following dawn, renewing all of nature and all of the spiritual world.
The Romans celebrated Saturnalia during the solstice, which meant gift-giving and public banquets.
The Scandinavian Feast of Juul was during the winter solstice. In addition to feasting, people would light a Juul log (what today we call a Yule log), which would burn until it was just a pile of ashes that would be used as fertilizer in the fields or kept as charms.
The Iranian festival of Yalda occurs during the solstice, with families staying up all night eating, drinking, reading poetry and sharing mythological stories.
The exact purpose and possible connection to the solstice of Stonehenge, the manmade, prehistoric monument of giant rock slabs in Wiltshire, England, appears to have been lost to antiquity. But the stone formations are aligned with the sunset during the winter solstice and the sun rises directly above the Heel Stone during the summer solstice.
Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
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December 21, 2020 at 05:03PM
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Shortest day of the year is here: Winter solstice arrives - pennlive.com
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