General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHappy Bottom of the Analemma Day everybody.
Last edited Sun Dec 21, 2014, 09:12 AM - Edit history (1)
Here in rural western Michigan the sun spends much of its time below the horizon during December. Some people see today, when the shortest daylight happens, as some sort of a sad time. Not me. I see it as an optimistic day.
The path that the sun traces through the sky throughout the year is given by the Analemma.
At the winter solstice the sun is at the bottom of the curve and begins its climb, again towards the summer solstice when the warm months of summer begin. From this day forward the days get longer, which to me makes it an optimistic event.
Happy solstice everybody!
And to those in the northern US, bundle up for a vibrant and embracing winter.
Feral Child
(2,086 posts)That's why this time of year has been celebrated by numerous civilizations dating back to prehistory.
Feral Child is a sun-bunny and shares that optimism.
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Trailrider1951
(3,408 posts)I keep my Holiday lights on all day on the Solstice, to light the darkest day of the year!
Tribalceltic
(1,000 posts)Happy Solstice All
I implore all of you with kids home from school to explain the significance of the solstice and analemma to them today.
logosoco
(3,208 posts)I have been trying to explain this to my grandsons, who are 6 and 5, using the globe and my exercise ball as the sun. I hope it gives them the sense of being aware of the changes we pass through in the year.
llmart
(15,499 posts)and beautiful thought. Thank you from a Southeastern Michigander for reminding me that there are still a few positive people on DU.
I, too, like this day for that very reason - that now we'll start gaining a minute or two every day. Plus, so far, we've had a pretty mild December.
Siwsan
(26,173 posts)In tribute to my ancestors and the lengthening daylight, I'll break out the mead at about 6:04 pm.
greatlaurel
(2,004 posts)Thanks for posting it and the picture is really interesting.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)JESUS
NutmegYankee
(16,177 posts)Even if the most bitter cold strikes.
Greybnk48
(10,147 posts)I love to watch the days slowly get longer, as we gobble our vitamin D3 and look forward to
Spring! My Jung seed catalogue came yesterday which is another big mood booster along with the holidays, of course.
longship: We just drove up and over to your neck of the woods in August and took the SS Badger home, for the first time ever. Northwestern Michigan is breathtakingly beautiful!
longship
(40,416 posts)That was about in 1952. At that time the Badger loaded train cars as well as automobiles. As they were balancing the load at the dock, running the train cars in and out of the ship, it rocked back and forth. My sister, father, and I all got horribly seasick. It was not a pleasant transit for us.
We returned on the Milwaukee Clipper, a very nice trip.
Oh, and here's the Badger.
roody
(10,849 posts)And the cold grows stronger.
2naSalit
(86,031 posts)One of my actual "holiday" type days. From Montana, catch up with you around the shortest night!