Winter solstice

[amateur51]

I have 5 family and two friend's birthdays between December 15 and 31! It makes for an expensive time of year made worse because I do insist on always treating their special day as if it was in June (like mine).

Bravo Petrushka!

As a just-after-Christmas-babe myself, I salute your attitude!

[Biffo]

I have 5 family and two friend's birthdays between December 15 and 31! It makes for an expensive time of year made worse because I do insist on always treating their special day as if it was in June (like mine).

My sister's birthday is October 30th and my mother's February 5th; as a child I found people with birthdays in the summer a bit odd!

[kernelbogey]

I've tried in vain to make sense of this sentence from an article in the Guardian on 21 December: 'In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night, but the sun continues to rise later for some days afterwards.' It goes on to say that this is because of the sun's elliptical orbit. Perhaps that means that sunset is also later for a few days...?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/dec/21/when-is-winter-solstice

Anyway, a happy winter festival to you all! kb

[amateur51]

I've tried in vain to make sense of this sentence from an article in the Guardian on 21 December: 'In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night, but the sun continues to rise later for some days afterwards.' It goes on to say that this is because of the sun's elliptical orbit. So perhaps that means that the solstice is not necessarily the longest night and shortest day...?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...inter-solstice

Ooooh kernel!

My brain hurts

[kernelbogey]

Ooooh kernel!

My brain hurts

Mine too after I had written that - so I've edited it a bit while you were replying....

Any astronomers here? Holst fans?

[Frances_iom]

you are looking at two different things - length of day = difference between sunrise + sunset - this now continues to lengthen
and time of sunrise - this moves later for a few days, sunset also moves later but the gap widens - shortly however the time of sunrise moves back and sunrset continues to get later until the summer solstice

[Don Petter]

According to the Times, the earliest sunset of the year was on 11th December.

[eighthobstruction]

Yep exactly....Just because it's called the shortest day , does not mean it is the longest night....there are longer nights but some of the night might be what some consider to be the day....

[kernelbogey]

Thank you Frances. I find it difficult to visualise the geometry of this explanation, but it makes more sense of what the Guardian wrote than their own explanation!

[greenilex]

Well, the sun may have risen but I was definitely not in a state to witness the event.

Better late than never: salaam, shalom, pax, friede and all gemutlichkeit to ye boarderers. Don't overdo it - do as I do that is - but in any case it must be as I say - mustn't it?

[eighthobstruction]

I like a bit of 'overdo'....as long as it isn't stressful....

[Don Petter]

Yep exactly....Just because it's called the shortest day , does not mean it is the longest night....there are longer nights but some of the night might be what some consider to be the day....

It's all to do with planetary wobble, and depends which side of the globe Patrick Moore is.

[eighthobstruction]

#57....or whenever Eric Pickles goes to the fridge.....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This year the Winter Solstice falls on December 22nd (most years it is on the 21st). As the 22nd is my birthday I think that is ample reason for celebration.

Happy Birthday, Biffo: celebrate amply!

[Biffo]

Many thanks for your Birthday Wish. I celebrated by inaugurating a new pair of speakers - a birthday present (there were other celebrations as well!)