Solstice countdown

[Tasty]

Originally Posted by TortoiseAWD

Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers rejoice!

Tort
(sick of driving home from work in the dark)

I'm with ya on this one. I can't get anything done around the house anymore. Just when I finish unwinding from work to step out and get productive on the yard, the sun laughs as it sets in the distance at 5:30. Stupid clock shift. Die daylight savings time, die.

[2000firebird]

Originally Posted by Spilchy

Why must you burst bubbles all the time and debunk everything Tort? You and your snopes and straightdope!

I wanted to balance an egg

i think that page is still wrong cuz the only time ive ever been able to do it is on that day. this is the internet, u can find plenty of pages for it or against it.

[percynjpn]

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

And here I thought this was a Pontiac thread...

That's what I thought! I hoped it was a countdown to the debut of the new Turbo model!

[TortoiseAWD]

Originally Posted by 2000firebird

i think that page is still wrong cuz the only time ive ever been able to do it is on that day. this is the internet, u can find plenty of pages for it or against it.

All it takes to disprove the myth (which says that the balancing act can only be done on the equinox) is for one person, anywhere, to balance an egg on a day other than the equinox. That's been done (by a number of people, in a number of places).

Tort
science curmudgeon

[Mosca]

Interesting note: although the solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year, they are not the days when the sun sets latest and earliest. Those days come a couple days after the solstices. The reason for this is that the sun also RISES earlier and later on the solstices, and then the daytime shifts a little bit, and does it a little bit sooner than the days begin to shorten/lengthen.


Tom

[a.k.a. Patrick]

The Winter solstice only conveys the shortest day of the year (days will now have more sunlight), as summer indicates the longest, as days will now shorten, correct?

[TortoiseAWD]

a.k.a. Patrick,

Days have been getting shorter since the autumnal equinox back in September (beginning of fall). The winter solstice is the shortest day (start of winter), and the days begin to get longer. The vernal equinox in March marks the beginning of spring, when we start having more daylight hours than dark.

Maybe this will help: http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sseason.htm

Here are some other interesting facts (interesting to me, anyway): The sun's zenith (highest point in the sky) varies each day, and depends on your latitude. On the longest day of the year, the sun reaches it's highest angle in the local sky. In the northern hemisphere, you can calculate that angle with this formula:

(90' - <your latitude> + 23.5')

Here in Omaha (about 40' latitude), that's 73.5'. On the shortest day, it's

(90' - <your latitude> - 23.5')

Again using Omaha as an example, the sun only reaches 26.5' high in the sky on the winter solstice at solar noon (mid-day, Dec 22). "High" noon isn't so high, is it? No wonder it's so freaking cold.

Tort