Solstice

[kernelbogey]

The point in the Earth's orbit of the sun which causes those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to experience the deep point of our winter, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences the opposite. Here, near the south coast of England, that moment will be at 10.02 (a.m.) today. From now, our days get longer.

I think about the Earth's revolution around the Sun quite often. This will be the seventy-fifth time I pass this point in space (along with everyone else, of course) and I have begun to think about how many more circuits I shall make.

Coincidentally we will have the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, visiible for half an hour (cloud permitting here) after sunset, which here is at 1600.

[Dave2002]

The point in the Earth's orbit of the sun which causes those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to experience the deep point of our winter, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences the opposite. Here, near the south coast of England, that moment will be at 10.02 (a.m.) today. From now, our days get longer.

I think about the Earth's revolution around the Sun quite often. This will be the seventy-fifth time I pass this point in space (along with everyone else, of course) and I have begun to think about how many more circuits I shall make.

Coincidentally we will have the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, visiible for half an hour (cloud permitting here) after sunset, which here is at 1600.

If you check with Stellarium you can verify that Saturn and Jupiter will appear close for days when visible, but I think they are actually closest in appearance today.

http://stellarium.org/

I'm not sure about passing the same point in space - it's all relative ... I hope that many of us will go round a few more times.

[Frances_iom]

Dave - our mornings will continue to get darker both astronomically and otherwise until early January - it's going to be a truly miserable time - I suspect by the time of midsummer the utter stupidity of the previous 15 years will finally be apparent.

[Dave2002]

Dave - our mornings will continue to get darker both astronomically and otherwise until early January - it's going to be a truly miserable time - I suspect by the time of midsummer the utter stupidity of the previous 15 years will finally be apparent.

That's an interesting comment, which I'll have difficulty verifying. Astrologically (!!) no doubt there'll be a mixture of misplaced optimism and gloom, depending on one's star sign, and I'm prepared to believe that things will be gloomier then ever as the comedy show carries on. Re the astronomical continuing darkness, shouldn't things start to get brighter from now on? OTOH meteorological conditions might counter any increased brightness due to the relative position of the sun. I have heard that RAF weather monitoring stations have indicated anomalies, and that indeed it may be January before things really start to get brighter - though I have no way of checking, and I think localised brighness might be very specific to locations.

[LeMartinPecheur]

That's an interesting comment, which I'll have difficulty verifying. Astrologically (!!) no doubt there'll be a mixture of misplaced optimism and gloom, depending on one's star sign, and I'm prepared to believe that things will be gloomier then ever as the comedy show carries on. Re the astronomical continuing darkness, shouldn't things start to get brighter from now on? OTOH meteorological conditions might counter any increased brightness due to the relative position of the sun. I have heard that RAF weather monitoring stations have indicated anomalies, and that indeed it may be January before things really start to get brighter - though I have no way of checking, and I think localised brighness might be very specific to locations.

Dave: I think what you said in your OP would be right, certainly more right, if the earth's orbit round the sun were perfectly circular. But it ain't, which means that each day's change in sunrise and sunset isn't perfectly symmetrical around the 'midday axis'. At certain times of year (segments in the orbit) the earth has to turn a little bit of extra corner as it were

[oddoneout]

That's an interesting comment, which I'll have difficulty verifying. Astrologically (!!) no doubt there'll be a mixture of misplaced optimism and gloom, depending on one's star sign, and I'm prepared to believe that things will be gloomier then ever as the comedy show carries on. Re the astronomical continuing darkness, shouldn't things start to get brighter from now on? OTOH meteorological conditions might counter any increased brightness due to the relative position of the sun. I have heard that RAF weather monitoring stations have indicated anomalies, and that indeed it may be January before things really start to get brighter - though I have no way of checking, and I think localised brighness might be very specific to locations.

Some useful info here. From 2017 so dates may be out for this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/feeds/38560106

[Serial_Apologist]

Whether it is our darkness to be lightened, or our lightness to be darkened, this seems like an appropriate moment to wish all our Forum friends a Happy Solstice.

(virtual and socially-distanced with outstretched tentacles)

[jayne lee wilson]

Always suffered terribly from Winter Depression, the profound overhanging gloom of the grey sky, so the Solstice seems a tiny chink of light and hope. But this year.... has been a little different. I made more of an effort to get out for The Walk (something of a Religious Obeisance for me), in the nearby countryside, in the last hour or two before dusk, no matter how muddy or seeming-inhospitable. Wellies On!
It made a bigger difference than I expected. Less agony in the evenings. When I can't do that, I try to do a road-walk instead. At least I can then admire the amazing Christmas Lightshows some households bedeck their gardens with!

[Bryn]

Always suffered terribly from Winter Depression, the profound overhanging gloom of the grey sky, so the Solstice seems a tiny chink of light and hope. But this year.... has been a little different. I made more of an effort to get out for The Walk (something of a Religious Obeisance for me), in the nearby countryside, in the last hour or two before dusk, no matter how muddy or seeming-inhospitable. Wellies On!
It made a bigger difference than I expected. Less agony in the evenings. When I can't do that, I try to do a road-walk instead. At least I can then admire the amazing Christmas Lightshows some households bedeck their gardens with!

Have also, possibly, been watching the gogglebox somewhat in the evenings? A lot of blue light to brighten you up comes from there.

[jayne lee wilson]

Have also, possibly, been watching the gogglebox somewhat in the evenings? A lot of blue light to brighten you up commes from there.

Well... much football, Mandalorian (finished now)......but mainly just reading, listening, surfing.... hanging with The Cats...... then Newsnight accompanied with much (European) wine.....

[Frances_iom]

Dave - one very interesting book Seb Falk "The Light Ages" besides showing you how to do addition of 4 figure numbers with a mere 10 fingers also explains on p61 why the mornings in Northern hemisphere get darker until early January

[greenilex]

Can I join with SA in sending seasonal wishes?
Tiny Tim did not die...probably because his birth was fictional, and all the better for it.

[cloughie]

Can I join with SA in sending seasonal wishes?
Tiny Tim did not die...probably because his birth was fictional, and all the better for it.

And to you too greenilex, your contributions are always welcome and too few! Glad to hear Tiny Tim survived his tiptoed trip and the tulips didn’t get him!

[ardcarp]

Although the Great Conjunction was obscured by cloud, fog and rain today, I did get a good view of Jupiter and Saturn yesterday evening very close together. In fact the planets were not shining so brilliantly as there was a bright half-moon up at the same time. One needs to be up high with no obscuring buildings or hills, as Jupiter and Saturn are now near the Western horizon and thus set quite soon after total darkness. But they can still be seen close together for some time, weather permitting.

As far as mornings continuing to get darker after the Solstice, well yes they do, but the overall day-length increases...infuriatingly slowly.

[cloughie]

Although the Great Conjunction was obscured by cloud, fog and rain today, I did get a good view of Jupiter and Saturn yesterday evening very close together. In fact the planets were not shining so brilliantly as there was a bright half-moon up at the same time. One needs to be up high with no obscuring buildings or hills, as Jupiter and Saturn are now near the Western horizon and thus set quite soon after total darkness. But they can still be seen close together for some time, weather permitting.

As far as mornings continuing to get darker after the Solstice, well yes they do, but the overall day-length increases...infuriatingly slowly.

Let’s take positives from this - the lighter evenings come after the darker mornings so that by late afternoon you’ve forgotten them - stay in bed until its light and you’ll not notice!