[dar-list] Solstice is like Christmas

[Sharon G]

Sat., Dec. 22, 2007, 1:08 A.M. EST (06:08 UT), marks the solsticethe
beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the
Southern Hemisphere
by Ann-Marie Imbornoni

The precise moment of the 2007 solstice will be Sat., Dec. 22, 1:08
A.M. EST (06:08 UT).


In astronomy, the solstice is either of the two times a year when the
Sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great
circle on the celestial sphere that is on the same plane as the
earth's equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice
occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the
tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22,
when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the
Southern Hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reversed.

Reason for the Seasons
The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in
the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it
also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the
plane of its rotation. Because of this tilt, the Northern Hemisphere
receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern
Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the
Earth continues its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the
sun changes and the seasons are reversed.

Longest Night of the Year
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of
the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its
noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and
after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes
from Latin solstitium, from sol, "sun" and -stitium, "a stoppage."
Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the
nights shorter.


http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm






-- 
But now I'm grown and I speak like a woman and I see with a woman's eyes
And an open door is to me now like the saddest of goodbyes
It's too late for turning back, I pray for the heart and the nerve

And I rely upon the moon, I rely upon the moon
I rely upon the moon and Saint Christopherver mary chapin carpenter

sage advisor, does weary mean wiser
dar williams