Happy Winter Solstice

Day 2,588, 08:46 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Anthony Colby

Happy Winter Solstice



This year the winter solstice hits where I live at 6:03 PM Eastern Standard time which is five hours behind you folks in Ireland which is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere.
The sun appears directly overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere while it does not get very high in the sky in the north. This is caused by the Earth's axis or tilt. This tilt is the reason we have seasons. The Earth is tilted so that in a hemispheres summer the rays of the sun strike the Earth more directly and in the winter they are at a greater angle. More direct sunlight means more heat so you get summer and the opposite means you get winter. Simple.

So historically the Winter Solstice was a time of renewal in some cultures. The sun was ending it's shortening of days and staying in the sky longer. It also was a time of feasting as many livestock were killed to prevent having to feed them through the lean times of the winter that was to follow as well as the time that beer in wine that had been brewed this year had become fermented.

So why when the days are getting longer does the weather get colder? Good question. Well the Northern Hemisphere continues to lose more heat than it gains until mid January or so. The oceans also continue to be cool as they take much longer to heat up than the atmosphere. The cooling the oceans have seen due to shorter days continues until much more sunlight hits them and they begin to warm.
Not until the hemisphere receives much more solar energy than it loses does the temperature start to rise.



So whether you like winter or not today is day one for us in the north. For fans of winter sports this is your time of year. For those who like it warm, well you have a couple more months of cool weather but the days are getting longer.

So Happy Winter Solstice to all.

Thanks for reading.

Anthony Colby