The creation of the four seasons is attributed to the tilt of the Earth, and when the tilt angle of the local axis and the sun reaches its maximum, we call it the solstice, which is a compound of "sun" and "still" in Latin, which also explains the origin and meaning of the summer and winter solstices.
Meteorologists and astronomers measure Earth's seasons in different ways — and this is related to the winter solstice.
Sunrise over the winter solstice in Banff, Canada.
As the Earth rotates, half of the Earth receives the sun's light, while the other is bathed in shadows. But because the Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees to the vertical line, one hemisphere typically receives light longer than the other, so the day is longer. Twice a year, when the tilt relative to the Sun is greatest, one hemisphere has the longest daytime and the other hemisphere has the longest nightfall. This is called the Solstice.
What causes the winter solstice?
We can thank the Earth for tilting during the four seasons of our planet. The sun-facing hemisphere experiences summer – June to August in the Northern Hemisphere and December to February in the Southern Hemisphere. The hemisphere, far from the Sun, receives less radiation and has lower temperatures. This alignment corresponds to winter, with the northern hemisphere in December to February and the southern hemisphere in June to August.
If the Earth hadn't tilted, there wouldn't have been a season, because both hemispheres would receive the same amount of light throughout the year. Around the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, parts of the Arctic Circle at the top of the Northern Hemisphere experience 24 hours of sunlight, while the Antarctic region, at the tip of the Southern Hemisphere, experiences no sunlight at all. During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (24 hours of darkness in the Arctic Circle and 24 hours of light in the Antarctic), the opposite is true.
When is the winter solstice?
The Sun marks the astronomical beginning of summer and winter, occurring around June 21 and December 21. According to astronomical and meteorological cycles, the year is divided into four discrete seasons, but these two seasons do not always have the same start and end dates.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Center for Environmental Information, "For thousands of years, people have used observable periodic natural phenomena to mark time. "The Earth's natural rotation around the Sun forms the basis of an astronomical calendar in which we define the seasons with two suns and two isoerxics." In contrast, the meteorological calendar divides the year into four seasons according to the annual temperature cycle.
Solids don't land on the same calendar day every year, because the astronomical year is 365.25 days, but our calendar is 365 days or 366 days, so the solids change. In addition, the Earth orbits the Sun in a slight elliptical shape (rather than a perfect circle), which may increase the number of days in the astronomical season because the Earth's distance from the Sun is not static. When the Earth is around the Sun, it moves slightly faster from the Sun. As a result, winters in the Northern Hemisphere are a few days shorter than summer, while summers in the Southern Hemisphere are several days shorter than winters.
While we're talking about the winter solstice, the precise axial arrangement occurs at a specific time, and the exact moment of the summer solstice— the longest day in the brain's hemisphere— doesn't necessarily occur during the day. According to the Royal Museum of Greenwich, the occurrence of the winter solstice has nothing to do with which side of the earth faces the sun towards the sun, which means it can even occur in the middle of the night. Royal Museum Of The Royal Greenwich. The winter solstice occurs when the Earth is tilted toward the most extreme position of the Sun, which may or may not be when the hemisphere experiencing the summer solstice faces the Sun.
This infographic shows how the Earth is like between June and December and December, and compares them to the time of day and night. (Image: Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock)
Why is it called the Winter Solstice?
According to the Franklin Institute, Solstice is a merger of the Latin words "sol" (sun) and "gaze" (still).
Although the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west, it will appear higher or lower in the sky throughout the year, depending on the season. Near the solstice point, the sun reaches the apparent highest and lowest points in the sky. They correspond to midsummer and mid-winter, respectively, and they are the turning point in the sun's journey. Once the sun reaches its peak on the summer solstice, it will begin its journey towards the horizon and peak at the lowest point of the winter solstice. In the weeks leading up to these winter solstice turning points, the sun seems to move very little, hence the name "solar stillness."
If you plot the sun's noon position every day of the year, it forms an unbalanced number of 8, called analemma. The point at which the figure-eight curve intersects is the vernal equinox, when the lengths of day and night are roughly equal.
The sunrise can be seen through the arches of Stonehenge. (Image source: Shutter)
Who discovered the winter solstice?
For thousands of years, humans have been observing the position of the sun in the sky. Solemn ceremonies inspired religious ceremonies around the world, and monuments were built to celebrate the event.
According to the BBC, in Stonehenge, the sun rises behind an ancient entrance in a stone circle, and "sunlight is directed to the center of the monument." Researchers believe that megalithics have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years. Stone circles were especially important for pagans and Druids.
According to the St. Notts Museum in the United Kingdom, according to some ancient Greek calendars, the summer solstice heralds the beginning of the New Year and also marks the countdown to the beginning of the month at the beginning of the Olympic Games.
In the United States, some Native American tribes living in plains and the Rocky Mountains perform a sun dance to celebrate the summer solstice.
Some witchcraft worshippers celebrate Christmas on the winter solstice to herald the return of the sun and the warmer months.
BY: Sarah Wild
FY: Cosmic astronomy
If there is any infringement of the relevant content, please contact the author to delete it after the work is published
Please also obtain authorization to reprint, and pay attention to maintaining completeness and indicating source