The Sun starts its journey back to the Southern Hemisphere

 Stuff and nonsense, Weather  No Responses »
Jun 212015
 
The Sun starts its journey back to the Southern Hemisphere

At 17:39 today, the Sun reached the limit of its journey into the Northern Hemisphere and started on its return south. This is the June Solstice, the longest daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere, and 9 hours, 21 minutes longer than on the December Solstice. A solstice occurs when the Sun is at its furthest point from the equator. On the June solstice it reaches its northernmost point and the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the sun, at about 23.5 degrees. It’s also known as the northern solstice because it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic [Read more]

The Sun goes into reverse – it’s the Winter Solstice.

 Stuff and nonsense, Weather  No Responses »
Dec 212014
 
The Sun goes into reverse - it's the Winter Solstice.

At 22:03 tonight (December 21st 2014), the Sun will shine directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the southern-most position the Sun reaches before reversing its direction and heading back towards the Northern Hemisphere. This is called the Winter Solstice, or Summer Solstice if you’re reading this in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also the day with the shortest sunlight hours, or longest if you’re in the south. Solstice comes from the Latin solstitium, meaning the Sun stands still.  In the Northern Hemisphere, astronomers and scientists use the December Solstice as the start of the winter [Read more]