For those of us that live above the Arctic Circle the winter soltice does not bring about "the longest night of the year". Our sun set some six weeks ago and really we’ve had "night" since then. But the solstice is not without significance for us, for it marks our return towards light, towards sunrise.
The earth tilts on its axis about 23 1/3 degrees, and it is this tilt that gives us our extremes of photo periods. This time of year, the northern hemisphere’s winter, the north pole is tilted away from the sun, leaving us in the earths shadow all day long. Every place located above the 66 2/3 parallel (or Arctic Circle) gets at least one day a year where the sun never sets, and one day a year where it doesn’t rise. Today marks the day when we’ve reached our farthest point for being pointed away from the sun, and from now on our twilight will lengthen everyday until the sun returns on Feb 6th.
I took a picture a little after noon today, although it is difficult to portray the actual light. Today was a little darker than you would expect because it was overcast and snowing. As much as I don’t mind the dark season, it is always refreshing to know that we have turned the corner and the return of the sun is only six short weeks away.
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4 responses
Happy Winter Solstice. Happy turning back to the light. What a gorgeous picture!
This picture looks quite magical. Enjoy your
Winter Solstice.
Hi, and for a terrific poem, see Susan Cooper’s “The Shortest Day” at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/yuletide-poem.html
Read aloud, savor the images of ages of cultures, and look for the return of the light…
Peace, All.
I can see my dad’s house…