Winter solstice: Today is the shortest day of the year!
The shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere (the winter solstice) is TODAY – here’s the lowdown.
Did you know that the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere (the winter solstice) is TODAY?
WILL TODAY BE THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR?
According to Vox Weather forecaster Annette Bota, the winter solstice in South Africa takes place today.
“In simple terms, you might hear it referred to as the shortest day of the year.
“When people say “the shortest day of the year”, they’re not actually talking about the length of the day — because each day is pretty much 24 hours long — but the amount of time the Sun is visible above the horizon.
“We could be a bit more precise and say it is the day with the least number of daylight hours.”- Annette Botha says.
THIS IS DUE TO THE EARTH TILTING AT ABOUT 23 DEGREES
She explained that this happens because the Earth tilts at about 23 degrees, meaning that when one side is closest to the Sun, the other side is furthest away.
“As the Earth does a lap around the Sun each year, different parts of the planet get more sunlight than others.
“That’s why it’s winter in South Africa and summer in Europe.
So when the Southern Hemisphere has winter solstice, it’s summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.”
IN LATIN THIS TRANSLATES TO – SUN’S STANDSTILL
Botha added that in Latin, “solstice” roughly translates to “Sun’s standstill.”
“As midwinter approaches, we see the Sun rise at a point further northward on the horizon each day.
“On some day, that point stops moving northward, then moves southward.”
She says the winter solstice is the day on which it stopped or stood still.
WHY IS THE SOLSTICE SO SIGNIFICANT?
According to a report by SBS news, evidence of the observation of solstices and astronomical events dates back thousands of years.
“In fact, the winter and summer solstice have been observed worldwide for thousands of years and were used in the earliest recorded tracking of the sun and seasonal change.”
The report furthermore said for many ancient cultures, tracking the motion and positioning of the Sun was a critical skill when planning for things such as navigation and agriculture.
TRACKING THE SUN’S MOTION WAS CRITICAL FOR NAVIGATION AND AGRICULTURE
“One well-known site used for astronomical observance was Stonehenge.
“The ancient stone arrangement in England has a structural design understood by historians to align with the observation of astronomical events, including the summer and winter solstice.”
Meanwhile, stargazers are in for a sweet treat as the Strawberry Moon is set to rise this week. Here are more details.