In the year 2021, The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on December 21. Although not as impressive as 2020 conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the longest night of the year is an important turning point. Astronomical winter begins, and the days gradually become longer.
Curious why this happened? WIRED spoke with Tansu Daylan, a Switch to exoplanet survey satellite (TESS) postdoctoral associate at MIT, to better understand the winter solstice and our planet’s relationship with the sun.
To visualize what is happening in space during the winter solstice, let’s start by thinking of a giant glass sphere circling the Earth, and let’s ignore the planet’s rotation (this complicate things). Daylan said, “If you look at the three-dimensional sphere around us, called the celestial sphere, the sun, like all other objects in the solar system, moves through a plane in this celestial sphere, which is called the ecliptic plane.
In doing so, the sun changes its inclination, he said. Refuse and right ascension are the two main axes of the celestial sphere. “In this frame of reference, the sun is at the south pole when it is the winter solstice from our point of view in the Northern Hemisphere.”
A winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs when North Pole leaning farthest away from the sun. The Arctic Circle is shrouded in darkness and experiences the longest night of the year. In the southern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs simultaneously with the South Pole tilted towards the sun and the Antarctic Circle going through midnight sun.
NASA’s “Space Flight Basics” online guide includes a section on celestial sphere with illustrations for anyone looking to explore more ideas.
The low position of the sun during the winter solstice will cause midday shadow particularly long. While it is important to humans, the summer solstice doesn’t mean much to the larger universe.
“The only points identified relate to the Earth-Sun system, not necessarily the entire solar system. We attach a lot of meaning to it because the sun is so sacred to us, and its position on the celestial sphere, as a function of time throughout the year, is very important,” Daylan said. “It sets the climate. Throughout the year, it tells us when the crop will mature. So that’s very important, especially for historical civilizations.”
Are from yuzu bath in Japan to Inti Raymi . Celebration In Peru, cultures around the world have a long history of celebrating the winter solstice. Contemporary Druids and archaeologists in England continue to remodel Stonehenge during this time of year. Sometimes the interests of the two groups are similar, but they often disagree on issues such as display Human remains found at Stonehenge.
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Many winter solstice traditions incorporate the use of food to bring families and communities together. A version of mince pies may have been eaten at Stonehenge parties. China’s Dongzhi Festival is known for tangyuan, a type of dumpling usually filled with black sesame.
Although the holiday is celebrated earlier in December, Saint Lucia’s Day in Scandinavia originates from the winter solstice. Butter saffron cake Twisted into an S shape and accented with raisins consumed as part of Saint Lucia Day activities.
