# Happy solstice everybody! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061 "2006-12-21T14:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/1 "2006-12-21T14:45:51Z")
Just wanted to tear you away from your festivus celebrations for a moment to observe that starting tomorrow the days will be getting longer. Woot! Now if only I could SEE the sun through these clouds and fog… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/2 "2006-12-21T14:50:15Z")
The sun has already started to rise earlier. Which sure is nice of it, I get to see the pretty landscape instead of just rows of headlights against the ink-black background! ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/3 "2006-12-21T15:38:46Z")
From the BBC weather centre: Thursday Sunrise 08:08 Sunset 15:50 Friday Sunrise 08:08 Sunset 15:50 Saturday Sunrise 08:09 Sunset 15:51 Hooray! Oh wait, sunrise is getting later too? Sunday Sunrise 08:09 Sunset 15:52 Monday Sunrise 08:10 Sunset 15:52 Either the BBC have [got it wrong](http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2683) or something weird is going on. Bloody Wintersmith, let go dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/4 "2006-12-21T15:48:48Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] The sun has already started to rise earlier. Which sure is nice of it, I get to see the pretty landscape instead of just rows of headlights against the ink-black background! [/QUOTE] No, it hasn’t. It has started to set later. At our latititudes, it won’t start rising earlier until early January. (A day or two earlier for you than for me, since you’re probably a bit farther north.) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/5 "2006-12-21T16:09:50Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] Either the BBC have got it wrong or something weird is going on. [/QUOTE] Yeah - who intelligently designed that?! ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/6 "2006-12-21T16:33:08Z")
Technically, the solstice is tomorrow. It is 22 minutes after midnight. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/7 "2006-12-21T16:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=Strinka] Technically, the solstice is tomorrow. It is 22 minutes after midnight. [/QUOTE] Well yeah, for all you folk in Greenwich… > **[Winter Solstice -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy](https://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/WinterSolstice.html)** ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/8 "2006-12-21T17:04:00Z")
[QUOTE=Strinka] Technically, the solstice is tomorrow. It is 22 minutes after midnight. [/QUOTE] Oh, thank goodness, I thought I was losing my mind. I am NOT staying up all night in the snow around a campfire for some pseudo-solstice, dammit! 😃 But Happy Solstice to all, anyway! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/9 "2006-12-21T21:24:44Z")
It’s not quite the summer solstice yet. There’s still about another three hours to go. It occurs at 11.22 this morning (Friday). ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/10 "2006-12-21T21:33:59Z")
Now, this is _definitely_ something I’d celebrate! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/11 "2006-12-21T22:25:50Z")
If you want to see something cool in connection with the sun and earth, try looking [at this site](http://http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/action?opt=-p) This is not a real picture of the earth, but it is an accurate portrayal of the distribution of light and dark at any given moment as seen from space. You will notice that today, the amount of light hitting the southern hemisphere is much greater than the northern. Now, where it says “display” choose “from Sun” and hit update. You will see that the sun’s rays are right now directly hitting on 23 degrees 26 minutes south latitude, which is the Tropic of Cancer. That is about the southernmost spot that the sun’s direct rays will hit. Now the sun “turns” and its direct rays start hitting a little farther north every day, until the end of June. They will fall directly on the equator around March 21, 3 months from now, and that will be the spring equinox (equal night) because day and night will be of equal length. It will continue striking further north every day until late June. It is fun to go to this site regularly and watch the change. Al;so, try this. type in 90 degrees south latitude and click on update. You will see Antarctica. It is 100% in daylight and will remain like that 24 hours a day for the next few weeks. Now look the earth from 90 degrees NORTH latitude. You will see the Earth over the north pole. It is all in nighttime and will remain so for several weeks. Even parts of nortthern Canada and Alaska are right now in 24-hour darkness. Six months from now, all of this will be the same, excpt it will be flip-reversed, north to south. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/12 "2006-12-21T23:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=Valteron] If you want to see something cool in connection with the sun and earth, try looking [at this site](http://http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/action?opt=-p) [/QUOTE] Coding [fixed](http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/action?opt=-s) > [@Valteron](#): > > You will see that the sun’s rays are right now directly hitting on 23 degrees 26 minutes south latitude, which is the Tropic of Cancer. Tropic of Capricorn ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/13 "2006-12-21T23:47:36Z")
[QUOTE=Strinka] Technically, the solstice is tomorrow. It is 22 minutes after midnight. [/QUOTE] HAPPY [/COLOR[COLOR=Blue]]SOLTICE STRINKA!!! 😛😛😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/14 "2006-12-21T23:51:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] It’s not quite the summer solstice yet. There’s still about another three hours to go. It occurs at 11.22 this morning (Friday). [/QUOTE] Actually, summer solstice is about six months away. But you can celebrate winter solstice in the meantime. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/15 "2006-12-21T23:52:41Z")
[QUOTE=Ghanima] Actually, summer solstice is about six months away. But you can celebrate winter solstice in the meantime. 🙂 [/QUOTE] _Looks at **Cunctator** ’s location_ :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/16 "2006-12-22T00:30:11Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Coding [fixed](http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/action?opt=-s) Tropic of Capricorn [/QUOTE] :smack: I meant to say Capricorn. The tropic of Cancer is the line of latitude that runs about 100 km south of Key West Fla. and represents the NORTHERNMOST point that the sun’s direct rays hit around June 21 before the sun “turns” southward again and the days start to get shorter again in the northern hemisphere. By the way, the word “tropics” is from a Greek word for “turning”. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/17 "2006-12-22T00:38:06Z")
Solstice already? Actually, I thought it was already passed. Good thing I don’t buy presents for it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/18 "2006-12-22T00:41:51Z")
It also happens to be my 32nd wedding anniversary. ::bows:: Happy Solstice one and all. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/19 "2006-12-22T01:24:33Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] Oh wait, sunrise is getting later too? Either the BBC have [got it wrong](http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2683) or something weird is going on. Bloody Wintersmith, let go dammit. [/QUOTE] [Earliest Sunrise/Latest Sunset do not Coincide](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=394214) From that thread, a detailed [explanation](http://members.aol.com/jwholtz/analemma/analemma.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061/20 "2006-12-22T10:11:51Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] From that thread, a detailed [explanation](http://members.aol.com/jwholtz/analemma/analemma.htm). [/QUOTE] Blimey, I didn’t know that yesterday. And here [someone took a picture](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020709.html). Guess I can still trust the BBC after all then. Sunrise and sunset are a bit of a theoretical concept in England at the moment. No big hot yellow burning thing in the sky at all. Just fog. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-solstice-everybody/385061.md?page=2)