I got busy yesterday and forgot to mention one of December’s big events — the winter solstice.
This year’s winter solstice occurred yesterday, December 21, 2022 at 4:48 p.m. EST for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere. This event is sometimes referred to as the December solstice.
Yesterday afternoon at 4:48 was the astronomical moment when the Sun reached the Tropic of Capricorn — giving us our shortest day and longest night of the year in terms of daylight. And yesterday (at 4:48 p.m.) marked the official start of winter.
When the winter solstice occurs, the Sun appears at it’s lowest in the sky, and its noontime elevation seems to stay the same for several days. The Sun’s gradual decrease in the sky reverses at the winter solstice…. many cultures believe that to be a “rebirth” of the Sun as the hours of daylight become longer.
If you were out and about yesterday about noontime, and you checked your shadow, it was your longest noontime shadow of the year. The Sun’t low arc across the sky in winter causes objects to cast longer shadows.
So — may the dawn of the winter solstice chase the dark away…..
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