Happy Solstice
To all my admirers, happy summer solstice, 19:49 UT, 21 June. For those in the northern hemisphere, this is as good as it gets, the longest day, the shortest night of the year. I hope you enjoy this mid-summer night with an appropriate pagan celebration. I am ;-) Although this is the shortest night of the year, it is interesting to note that the equation of time is up to its usual tricks. The latest sunset is not tonight but Friday 25 June! Enjoy the solstice, Sol Invictus __ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Happy Solstice
Hello Fellow Dialists, Celebrate the return of the sun! Happy Solstice. The posting on Maes Howe got me thinking of what the solstice must have meant for early northern people. Consider the sun sinking lower and lower each day until it was only a hands width (7.5 degrees) above the horizon at noon and daylight was only six hours. It would be a magical time when the sun stopped its decline and started to come back with its life giving warmth and light for another year. It is no wonder that the solstice is marked in such a remarkable way at Maes Howe and so many other sites. Timing the solstice, in my opinion, is the start of science, religion and civilization itself. It is no wonder that this event is celebrated in so many ways in most northern cultures with themes of light, salvation and re-birth. Whether you are celebrating the birth of Christ, yule logs and Christmas lights, St. Lucia, Hanukkah, New Years or Saturnalia, enjoy the Solstice today. Cheers, Roger Bailey @ 51 N where we got less than 8 hours of daylight today.
Re: Happy Solstice
Dear PsychoKidd and SolarGuru, Sorry to disappoint both of you, but mid summer actually occurs in December! And the longest day of the year is also in that month. John Dr John Pickard Senior Lecturer, Environmental Planning Graduate School of the Environment Macquarie University, NSW 2109 Australia Phone + 61 2 9850 7981 (work) + 61 2 9482 8647 (home) Fax + 61 2 9850 7972 (work)
Re: Happy Solstice
Hello, Although the times of the latest sunset and as well the earliest sunrise do not occur on the Summer Solstice, there is variability in their respective dates which depends on latitude. At the equator, where the rate at which the length of the day increases and decreases is much smaller, the latest sunset is around July 25! I believe in your example the latitude must be roughly around 50dN for the latest sunset to occur around June 25 and where the earliest sunrise would have been somewhere around June 17. Where I'm at, lat 36.5dN, the latest sunset will be around June 27. Regards (and much admiration), Luke Coletti Sol Invictus wrote: > > To all my admirers, happy summer solstice, 19:49 UT, 21 June. For those in > the northern hemisphere, this is as good as it gets, the longest day, the > shortest night of the year. I hope you enjoy this mid-summer night with an > appropriate pagan celebration. I am ;-) > > Although this is the shortest night of the year, it is interesting to note > that the equation of time is up to its usual tricks. The latest sunset is > not tonight but Friday 25 June! > > Enjoy the solstice, > > Sol Invictus
Re: Happy Solstice
Just though I would throw a global wrench in all of your works... The "longest solar day" is on or about September 15th (my birthday), when the day is 24 hours and 21.5 seconds long! The shortest solar day is December 25, at 24 hours minus 30 seconds. Enjoy today anyway! Pete S. John Pickard wrote: > > Dear PsychoKidd and SolarGuru, > > Sorry to disappoint both of you, but mid summer actually occurs in > December! And the longest day of the year is also in that month. > > John > > Dr John Pickard > Senior Lecturer, Environmental Planning > Graduate School of the Environment > Macquarie University, NSW 2109 Australia > Phone + 61 2 9850 7981 (work) > + 61 2 9482 8647 (home) > Fax + 61 2 9850 7972 (work)
Re: Happy Solstice
'mid-summer' actually occurs on May 1st, June 21st is usually refered to as the first day of summer. In a message dated 6/21/99 3:41:58 AM !!!First Boot!!!, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << To all my admirers, happy summer solstice, 19:49 UT, 21 June. For those in the northern hemisphere, this is as good as it gets, the longest day, the shortest night of the year. I hope you enjoy this mid-summer night with an appropriate pagan celebration. I am ;-) >>
Re: Happy Solstice
OH you Aussies with your stupid upside down globes. I still disagree Midsummer occurs on May 1st (it is an ancient European holiday), though the local first day of summer does indeed depend on latitude. In a message dated 6/21/99 5:01:48 AM !!!First Boot!!!, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Dear PsychoKidd and SolarGuru, Sorry to disappoint both of you, but mid summer actually occurs in December! And the longest day of the year is also in that month. John >> >>
Re: Happy Solstice
Hi Luke, You are quite right about the latitude dependence. Since that fateful day, 27 Oct 312 when I lost my position, I have been dependent on others for such data. My reference for the original quotation is the June 1999 Sky and telescope calendar. The Dialists' Companion does give the latest sunset for latitude 50 on 25 June and for latitude 36.5 as 29 June. The curve is too flat (1 sec/day) for most programs to discriminate. Mid-summer is in the olde tyme sense, as used by Shakespeare in "Midsummer Night's Dream". Traditionally tonight is a time of delightful frivolity. Enjoy the solstice, Sol Invictus ps. Antipodeans can rejoice at the return of the sun from its depressing flight north. From: Luke Coletti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sol Invictus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CC: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de Subject: Re: Happy Solstice Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 12:26:41 -0800 Hello, Although the times of the latest sunset and as well the earliest sunrise do not occur on the Summer Solstice, there is variability in their respective dates which depends on latitude. At the equator, where the rate at which the length of the day increases and decreases is much smaller, the latest sunset is around July 25! I believe in your example the latitude must be roughly around 50dN for the latest sunset to occur around June 25 and where the earliest sunrise would have been somewhere around June 17. Where I'm at, lat 36.5dN, the latest sunset will be around June 27. Regards (and much admiration), Luke Coletti Sol Invictus wrote: > > To all my admirers, happy summer solstice, 19:49 UT, 21 June. For those in > the northern hemisphere, this is as good as it gets, the longest day, the > shortest night of the year. I hope you enjoy this mid-summer night with an > appropriate pagan celebration. I am ;-) > > Although this is the shortest night of the year, it is interesting to note > that the equation of time is up to its usual tricks. The latest sunset is > not tonight but Friday 25 June! > > Enjoy the solstice, > > Sol Invictus __ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Re: Happy Solstice
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > ... I still disagree Midsummer occurs on May 1st don't tell that to my swedish friends (I'm living in sweden for a while). In sweden 1st May IS a holiday to celebrate (among other social/labor celebrations) the BEGINING of the summer time (or good weather) > (it is an ancient European holiday), Midsommardagen IS the LARGEST celebrated holiday in sweden and this year is 26th (always the saturday after the real solstice) > though the local first day of summer does indeed depend on latitude. > Antonio
Re: Happy Solstice
True - I should have said: "... next year's Summer Solstices?!?" As for Y2K Compliance, I like the thought of engraving thedeclaration on the dial! For another challange, can we come up with a sundial that *isn't* Y2K Compliant, but is correct for (at least most) other years? Dave On Mon, 21 Jun 1999, Jim_Cobb wrote: > I thought this millennium's last summer solstice would be in December, > 2000, south of the equator. Let's not forget our friends in oz, > Brazil, and other southern locales... > > Jim > === > For a marketing boost, label your sundials as Y2K compliant. Hundreds > of years from now dial enthusiasts will wonder what that obscure > designation means; those who know will marvel that it was such a big > deal.
Re: Happy Solstice
I thought this millennium's last summer solstice would be in December,
2000, south of the equator. Let's not forget our friends in oz,
Brazil, and other southern locales...
Jon, I'd like a copy too, if I may.
Jim
===
For a marketing boost, label your sundials as Y2K compliant. Hundreds
of years from now dial enthusiasts will wonder what that obscure
designation means; those who know will marvel that it was such a big
deal.
Dave Bell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> First, I'd like to ask Jon to send me a copy!
>
> Second, I'd like to extend my condolences to all who were hoping the Y2K
> problems would be minor in nature! Who would have thought they would have
> extended to actually *cancelling* next year's Summer Solstice?!?
>
> :{)
>
> Dave
>
> > Dear Diallists,
> >
> > If anyone would like a photograph of this mornings sunrise, I would be happ
y
> > to email to them..if only to make it worth my while getting up at 4am this
> > morning and being tired all day! It was taken at 4.50am BST at a place
> > exactly on the Greenwich Meridian, about 10 miles north of London.
> > It's not the best quality photos, but it makes a nice momento of this
> > milenniums last summer solstice. I'm also trying to put together an animate
d
> > gif of this mornings sunrise, so if anyone's interested, please let me know
.
> >
> >
> > Best regards to everyone
> >
> > Jon Urwin
Re: Happy Solstice
I have to agree with John Pickard on this one it is our Winter Solstice. Globes and maps are all made the wrong way round. Even the clocks move in a strange way ;-) If this hemisphere had got in on the act first we would have properly had the clocks running anti clockwise ;-) I have just watched a beautiful sunset after a glorious bright winters day and am looking forward to a longer day tomorrow. Happy Winter Solstice to you all. -- John D Hall School of Architecture - University of Tasmania Launceston TAS 7250 - AUSTRALIA Tel (+61) 0363 24 3502Latitude 41d 26m 1s South Fax (+61) 0363 24 3557 Longitude 147d 7m 49.5s East -- > OH you Aussies with your stupid upside down globes. I still disagree > Midsummer occurs on May 1st (it is an ancient European holiday), though the > local first day of summer does indeed depend on latitude. >
