Happy Tuesday pootie, woozle, birdie and general critter lovers, and welcome to a special Winter edition of the Tuesday Pooties & Woozles diary. This is a diary to relax, share pictures and stories about our animal friends, and to build community. Come on in and join us... |
In the north, on December 21, the sun reaches its lowest point on the horizon, making that day the shortest day of the year.
The winter solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'. Though the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, the term is also a turning point to midwinter or the first day of winter.
That moment will occur at UTC 23:38 today or 5:38 p.m. Central Time, which is my time zone.
The Clash of Titans: Basement Cat vs Ceiling Cat!!
+++
BREAKING: We interrupt this clash with a special science bulletin. Normally nothing would interrupt the celebration of Winter Solstice but the last time this happened was 456 years ago. Back before the invention of cheetos!!
This happened last night:
When the Moon travels completely into the Earth’s umbra, one observes a total lunar eclipse. The Moon’s speed through the shadow is about one kilometer per second (2,300 mph), and totality may last up to nearly 107 minutes. Nevertheless, the total time between the Moon’s first and last contact with the shadow is much longer, and could last up to 3.8 hours. The relative distance of the Moon from the Earth at the time of an eclipse can affect the eclipse’s duration. In particular, when the Moon is near its apogee, the farthest point from the Earth in its orbit, its orbital speed is the slowest. The diameter of the umbra does not decrease appreciably within the changes in the orbital distance of the moon. Thus, a totally eclipsed Moon occurring near apogee will lengthen the duration of totality.
Thank you, Mr. Peabody, for that photo and the explanation. But in P&W land, we have some scientific slightly different standards.
Welcome, Indubitable Woozle!
Can you explain what REALLY happened? "Yes, I can", said Indubitable Woozle.
+++
Now, back to the Solstice.
The wheel of the year has come full circle since the last Winter Solstice. Our Autumnal Equinox celebration showed the darkness winning. It will be a while before the light becomes noticeable, in fact, most likely not until Spring. And then on to Summer Solstice again.
But for now ... the Winner is ... Ceiling Cat
The winter solstice or midwinter is one of the eight pagan festivals or "sabbats" from the Wheel of the Year. It is a "quarter day" along with the equinoxes and the summer solstice. The Solstice Night brings celebration as our ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. To all my pagan friends, "May the warmth of the sun and the memories of that sun bring you a blessed day!"
People celebrate the shortest day because the longest days follow.
The Winter Solstice is a new beginning.
Happy Winter Solstice and fist bumps!!
---
Coded by BirderWitch
Word clouds by ccmask