On Sun, Mar 6, 2016 at 2:52 PM, John Pickard <john.pick...@bigpond.com> wrote:
> Good morning all (and especially those in the Northern Hemisphere still > stuck in winter), > > The following letter appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald (Saturday 5 > March 2016, p. 39) > > "Still summer in Sydney. > > It's hard not to be amused by the apparently genuine surprise expressed > this past week - mainly by television weather presenters - at the high > temperatures being recorded around the country 'in the first week of > autumn'. I'm not sure which authority declared that autumn starts on March 1 In the U.S., our astronomers have proclaimed that summer begins with the summer solstice, and that spring begins wit the spring equinox. ...proclaimed with absolutely no justification. It's become our national definition of the seasons. I guess anything can mean anything if you define it that way. But, obvious to everyone (other than our astronomers and the newscasters who parrot them), by the time June 21 arrives, it has been summer for a long time. It would be much more in keeping with our experience with the seasons to say that Summer begins when June begins. ...and guess what? That's what they say in Australia. Australia doesn't share our ridiculous notion of starting the seasons on the solstices and equinoxes. In Australia, it's understood that Summer begins when December begins, and that Winter begins when June begins. But evidently it's still assumed that there are 4 seasons of equal length. Here in the U.S., it's obvious that March isn't spring. Yes, there are often _a few_ occasional indications that spring is approaching. But, realistically, March would be better included in Winter, if we insist on 4 seasons. Likewise, September tends to be a very summer-like. If we must have 4 months, then it would be less inaccurate to say that winter is December, January, February and March. ...and that summer is June, July, August and September. Spring is April and May. Autumn is October and November. But, more realistically, because March can have _a few_ days that somewhat preview spring (maybe with floral scents), March might better be called "Pre-Spring". Likewise, September might be better-called "Pre-Autumn"., because there does begin to be a bit of cooling later in September. So, instead of 4 seasons, there are 6. ...with March and September being 1-month seasons. The notion of 6 seasons isn't new. It's been proposed by people who specialize in these matters. > ; however the change of seasons is an immutable astronomical event... Incorrect. The seasons of course result from astronomical causes, but they aren't validly defined by astronomical events, such as equinoxes and solstices. > resulting from a shift in the earth's axis each three months on the two > equinoxes and the two solstices, which coincide with the human invented > calendar dates of (approximately) March and September 21; and June and > December 21. Human-invented yes. U.S. astronomer-invented (and media broadcaster parroted). So it has not been an amazingly hot start to "autumn'; it is still summer > and will be for nearly three more weeks. > Of course. If you're going to define 4 seasons, then March is part of Southern Hemisphere summer. December through March. But it would make even more sense to speak of March and September as 1-month seasons, as described above. Michael Ossipoff --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
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