Post by Admin on Dec 23, 2015 7:51:15 GMT 8
Winter Solstice 2015
Do you know when the shortest day of the year is?
The occurrence of the shortest day in every year coincides with the “Winter Solstice”. The word solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium, which means, “the Sun stands still”. This year's Winter Solstice will be on December 22, 2015 at 12:49 PM PhT here in Manila when the length of the day will just be 11 hours 15 minutes and 55 seconds, shorter by 1 hour and 44 minutes than on the Summer Solstice last June. On this day the Sun is at its lowest position in the sky with respect to the Northern Hemisphere, as it rises at 6:16 AM and sets at 5:32 PM.
Solstice is caused by the earth's revolution around the sun with its tilt of 23.5 degrees around its axis. At the Winter Solstice, the earth’s Southern Hemisphere is leaning most toward the Sun, after which the sun will begin to slowly shift northward in the sky making the length of days gradually longer as the season changes.
Figure 1 – The South Pole is leaning most toward the Sun during the Winter Solstice. Source: www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html
Astronomically speaking, the December solstice signals the start of the winter season in the northern hemisphere. However for meteorologists, in order to be consistent and to make weather forecasting easier, the beginning of the northern winter is set when the month of December comes in.
Figure 2 – Solstices and Equinoxes are caused by Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt of its rotational axis. Source: www.quora.com/How-is-the-North-pole-of-Earths-rotational-axis-oriented-relative-to-the-sun-when-it-is-summer-in-the-Northern-Hemisphere
Do you know when the shortest day of the year is?
The occurrence of the shortest day in every year coincides with the “Winter Solstice”. The word solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium, which means, “the Sun stands still”. This year's Winter Solstice will be on December 22, 2015 at 12:49 PM PhT here in Manila when the length of the day will just be 11 hours 15 minutes and 55 seconds, shorter by 1 hour and 44 minutes than on the Summer Solstice last June. On this day the Sun is at its lowest position in the sky with respect to the Northern Hemisphere, as it rises at 6:16 AM and sets at 5:32 PM.
Solstice is caused by the earth's revolution around the sun with its tilt of 23.5 degrees around its axis. At the Winter Solstice, the earth’s Southern Hemisphere is leaning most toward the Sun, after which the sun will begin to slowly shift northward in the sky making the length of days gradually longer as the season changes.
Figure 1 – The South Pole is leaning most toward the Sun during the Winter Solstice. Source: www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html
Astronomically speaking, the December solstice signals the start of the winter season in the northern hemisphere. However for meteorologists, in order to be consistent and to make weather forecasting easier, the beginning of the northern winter is set when the month of December comes in.
Figure 2 – Solstices and Equinoxes are caused by Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt of its rotational axis. Source: www.quora.com/How-is-the-North-pole-of-Earths-rotational-axis-oriented-relative-to-the-sun-when-it-is-summer-in-the-Northern-Hemisphere