I got busy yesterday and forgot to mention one of December\u2019s big events \u2014 the winter solstice.
This year\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday afternoon at 4:48 was the astronomical moment when the Sun reached the Tropic of Capricorn \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the winter solstice occurs, the Sun appears at it\u2019s lowest in the sky, and its noontime elevation seems to stay the same for several days. The Sun\u2019s gradual decrease in the sky reverses at the winter solstice\u2026. many cultures believe that to be a \u201crebirth\u201d of the Sun as the hours of daylight become longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t low arc across the sky in winter causes objects to cast longer shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So \u2014 may the dawn of the winter solstice chase the dark away\u2026..
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I got busy yesterday and forgot to mention one of December\u2019s big events \u2014 the winter solstice.This year\u2019s winter solstice occurred yesterday, December 21, 2022 at 4:48 p.m. EST for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere. This event is … Continue reading