Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the northern hemisphere winter solstice

Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the southern hemisphere winter solstice

In astronomy, the winter solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is most inclined away from the Sun. This causes the Sun to appear at its farthest below the celestial equator when viewed from the far hemisphere. Solstice is a Latin borrowing and means "sun stand still", referring to the appearance that the Sun's noontime elevation change stops its progress, either northerly or southerly. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Download high resolution version (1560x1024, 427 KB) Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of winter solstice on northern hemisphere. ... Download high resolution version (1560x1024, 427 KB) Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of winter solstice on northern hemisphere. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... The Sun (or Sol) is the star at the center of our Solar system. ... Northern Hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... Download high resolution version (1560x1024, 412 KB) Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of summer solstice on northern hemisphere. ... Download high resolution version (1560x1024, 412 KB) Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of summer solstice on northern hemisphere. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... The Sun (or Sol) is the star at the center of our Solar system. ... The Southern Hemisphere of Earth highlighted in yellow. ... Astrology: the study of the positions of the celestial objects relative to the Earth and how these positions affect happenings on the lives of cultures, nations and the natural environment. ... Diagram of the Earths seasons Solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the earths equator. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... The term hemisphere is used in three different meanings: one-half of the Earth (or other planetary or stellar body; see also New World and Old World) Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. ... The Sun (or Sol) is the star at the center of our Solar system. ... The celestial equator is a great circle on the imaginary celestial sphere, which could be constructed by inflating the Earths equator until it intersects with said sphere. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on December 21/December 22, which is the southern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Capricorn, roughly 23.5 degrees South of the earth's equator. In the southern hemisphere, winter solstice falls on June 21/June 22, which is the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. At this time, the Sun appears over the Tropic of Cancer. Northern Hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Southern Hemisphere of Earth highlighted in yellow. ... Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... The Tropic of Cancer (cancer (♋) is Latin for crab), one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth, is the parallel of latitude that lies 23° 26 22 north of the Equator. ...

Since the winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox, and autumnal equinox were probably observed for the first time by people in the northern hemisphere, these naming conventions originally corresponded to the northern hemisphere's seasons. In most reckonings, the winter solstice is midwinter. Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The vernal equinox (or spring equinox) marks the beginning of astronomical spring. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The autumnal equinox (or fall equinox) occurs during the month of September in the Northern Hemisphere, and during March in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A season is one of the major divisions of the year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in weather. ...

In Ireland's calendars, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at about midpoint in each season. For example, winter begins on November 1, and ends on January 31. The passage and chamber of Newgrange, a tomb in Ireland, are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn from the 19th to the 23rd of December. Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox In astronomy, an equinox is defined as the moment when the sun reaches one of two intersections between the ecliptic and the celestial equator. ... A season is one of the major divisions of the year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in weather. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Newgrange, Ireland Newgrange, one of the passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, is the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites. ...

In the Chinese calendar, the winter solstice too marks midwinter and is called dōng zhì (冬至, "winter's extreme"). It is traditionally regarded as one of the year's most important jiéqìs (solar terms), comparable to Chinese New Year. Rather confusingly, the character zhì may also mean "arrival" in other contexts, but it is clear that the Chinese consider "winter's arrival" (立冬, lì dōng, literally "establishment of winter") to be a separate jiéqì which falls on or around November 7 instead. The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar formed by combining a purely lunar calendar with a solar calendar. ... The Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; The Extreme of Winter) is one of the most important Jiéqìs celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. ... A Solar term is one of 24 days in the traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that match a particular astronomical events or signify some natural phenomenon. ... Chinese New Year decoration in London Chinatown Chinese New Year (Chinese: 春節, 春节, ChÅ«njíe; or 農曆新年, 农历新年, Nónglì XÄ«nnián), also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. ... A Solar term is one of 24 days in the traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that match a particular astronomical events or signify some natural phenomenon. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ...

The winter solstice is the time when the Germanic festival of Yule was celebrated; it is celebrated today by Ásatrúar and is recognized by some Neopagan groups as a Neopagan Sabbat. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near (within a few days) the winter solstice; examples of these include Yalda, Saturnalia, Christmas, Karachun, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Zamenhof Day. (See also List of winter festivals). The first civilization to celebrate the winter solstice were the Ancient Persians, deriving from their Zoroastrian religion. Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Germanic pagans still celebrated by Ásatrúar. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) describes a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, mainly pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ... In neopaganism, a Sabbat is one of the eight major seasonal festivals which make up the Wheel of the Year. ... Yaldā is celebrated on the eve of the first day of the winter in the Iranian calendar, which falls on the Winter Solstice. ... Saturnalia (from the god Saturn) was the name the Romans gave to their holiday marking the Winter Solstice. ... Christmas is a traditional Christian festival marking the birth of Jesus. ... Karachun, Korochun or Kračún is a Slavic version of Halloween as a day when the Black God and other evil spirits are most potent. ... Hanukkah (×—× ×›×” , or חנוכה ) is a Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of lights. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... December 15 (Zamenhof Day, Zamenhofa Festo) is the birthday of L. L. Zamenhof, the initiator of Esperanto. ... List of winter festivals: This is an incomplete list of festivals and holidays that take place during the winter in the northern hemisphere, especially those commemorating the season. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ...

Through an interesting coincidence in the Earth's orbit, the northern hemisphere's winter occurs roughly when the sun is actually closest to the earth (Perihelion is actually on or about January 4). Conversely, the northern summer is when the sun is farthest from the earth. But the distance from the sun doesn't affect the seasons on Earth to a measurable amount, since Earth's eliptical orbit is almost circular. In general it's the angle of the sun's rays and the number of hours of light per day that actually affects the seasons in most regions on the planet. This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Daxue (大雪) is a solar term that begins when the Sun lies between the celestial longitudes of 255° and 270°. It sometimes refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 255°. Daxue usually begins around December 7, and ends around December 22. ... A Solar term is one of 24 days in the traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that match a particular astronomical events or signify some natural phenomenon. ... Xiaohan (小寒) is a solar term begins when Sun lies between the celestial longitude of 285° and 300°. It sometimes refers in particular to the day when Sun exactly at the celestial longitude of 285°. Introduction Xiaohan usually begins around January 6, and ends around January 20. ...

External links

• The seasons begin at the time of the solstice or equinox (from the Bad Astronomer)
• Newgrange Winter Solstice
• Winter Solstice (in Celtic mythology)
• Solstice does not signal season's start? (from The Straight Dope)
• Solstice Dates and Times
• Wolfram Research solstice explanation