Solstice

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20#3 )* ++:*) )+ *0:*/ )) )*:// )+ +1:++ 20#4 )* +-:01 )+ +*:0+ ). *):), )+ ).:*. Solstices occur twice a ear, when the tilt o# the 3arth4s a5is is oriente! !irectl towar!s or awa #rom the %un, causing the %un to appear to reach its northernmost an! southernmost e5tremes. 6he name is !erive! #rom the 7atin sol &sun' an! sistere &to stan! still', because at the solstices, the %un stan!s still in !eclination8 that is, its apparent movement north or south comes to a stan!still. 6he term solstice can also be use! in a wi!er sense, as the !ate &!a ' that such a passage happens. 6he solstices, together with the e9uino5es, are connecte! with the seasons. In some languages the are consi!ere! to start or separate the seasons8 in others the are consi!ere! to be centre points &in 3nglish, in the :orthern hemisphere, #or e5ample, the perio! aroun! the June solstice is known as mi!summer, an! ;i!summer4s <a is )/ June, about three !a s a#ter the solstice itsel#'. %imilarl )0 <ecember is the start o# the =hristmas celebration, which was a Pagan #estival in pre-=hristian times, an! is the !a the sun begins to return back to the northern hemisphere.

$ontents
>hi!e? + @eliocentric view o# the seasons ) Aeocentric view o# the seasons . =ultural aspects / %ee also 0 Be#erences an! e5ternal links 0.+ =alculations, plots an! tables 0.) <ebate about season start 0.. Pictures an! vi!eos

%edit& 'eliocentric (ie) of the seasons

/wiki/Image:3arthlighting-summersolstice_3:.png

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/wiki/Image:3arth/wiki/Image:3arthlighting-summerlighting-wintersolstice_3:.png solstice_3:.png Illumination o# 3arth b Illumination o# 3arth b %un at the northern %un at the southern solstice. solstice. 6he cause o# the seasons is that the 3arth4s a5is o# rotation is not perpen!icular to its orbital plane &the #lat plane ma!e through the center o# mass &bar center' o# the solar s stem &near or within the %un' an! the successive locations o# 3arth !uring the ear', but currentl makes an angle o# about )..//D &calle! the (obli9uit o# the ecliptic(', an! that the a5is keeps its orientation with respect to inertial space. Es a conse9uence, #or hal# the ear &#rom aroun! )* ;arch to )) %eptember' the northern hemisphere tips to the %un, with the ma5imum aroun! )+ June, while #or the other hal# ear the southern hemisphere has this !istinction, with the ma5imum aroun! )+ <ecember. 6he two moments when the inclination o# 3arth4s rotational a5is has ma5imum e##ect are the solstices. 6he table at the top o# the article gives the instances o# e9uino5es an! solstices over several ears. Be#er to the e9uino5 article #or some remarks.

/w / iki/Image::orth_season.Cpg wiki/Image:%outh_season.Cpg <iagram o# the 3arth4s seasons <iagram o# the 3arth4s as seen #rom the north. $ar seasons as seen #rom the right: southern solstice south. $ar le#t: northern solstice

<uring the northern solstice the %un appears to be !irectl overhea! at noon #or places situate! at latitu!e )..//D north, known as the tropic o# =ancer. 7ikewise !uring the southern solstice the same thing happens #or latitu!e )..//D south, known as the tropic o# =apricorn. Ell places on 3arth in between these two latitu!es are known as the tropics an! will see the %un in the Fenith at least two !a s in the ear. Elso !uring the northern solstice places situate! at latitu!e --.0-D north, known as the Erctic =ircle will see the %un Cust on the horiFon !uring mi!night, an! all places north o# it will see the %un above horiFon #or )/ hours. 6hat is the mi!night sun or mi!summer-night sun or polar !a . Gn the other han!, places at latitu!e --.0-D south, known as the Entarctic =ircle will see the %un Cust on the horiFon !uring mi!!a , an! all places south o# it will not see the %un above horiFon at an time o# the !a . 6hat is the polar night. <uring the southern solstice the e##ects on both hemispheres are Cust the opposite.

/wiki/Image:Be#lecte!%olarBa!iation_%olstices.Cpg /wiki/Image:Be#lecte!%olarBa!iation_%olstices.Cpg /wiki/Image:Be#lecte!%olarBa!iation_%olstices.Cpg /wiki/Image:Be#lecte!%olarBa!iation_%olstices.Cpg 6wo images showing the amount o# re#lecte! sunlight at southern an! northern summer solstices respectivel &watts / mH'. Et the temperate latitu!es, !uring summer the %un remains longer an! higher above the horiFon, while in winter it remains shorter an! lower. 6his is the cause o# summer heat an! winter col!.

Further information: effect of sun angle on climate

6he seasons are not cause! b the var ing !istance o# 3arth to the %un !ue to the orbital eccentricit o# the 3arth4s orbit. 6his variation !oes make such a contribution, but is small compare! to the e##ects o# e5posure because o# 3arth4s tilt. =urrentl the 3arth reaches perihelion at the beginning o# Januar , which is !uring the northern winter an! the southern summer. 6he %un, being closer to 3arth an! there#ore hotter, !oes not cause the whole planet to enter summer. Elthough it is true that the northern winter is somewhat warmer than the southern winter, the placement o# the continents, ice-covere! Entarctica in particular, ma also pla an important #actor. In the same wa , !uring aphelion at the beginning o# Jul , the %un is #arther awa , but that still leaves the northern summer an! southern winter as the are with onl minor e##ects. <ue to ;ilankovitch c cles, the 3arth4s a5ial tilt an! orbital eccentricit will change over thousan!s o# ears. 6hus in +*,*** ears one woul! #in! that 3arth4s northern winter occurs at aphelion an! its northern summer at perihelion. 6he severit o# seasonal change I the average temperature !i##erence between summer an! winter in location I will also change over time because the 3arth4s a5ial tilt #luctuates between )).+ an! )/.0 !egrees.

%edit& *eocentric (ie) of the seasons

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/wiki/Image:%olstice-*.Cpg/wiki/Image:%olstice-*.Cpg<a arcs at *D latitu!e, e9uator

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/wiki/Image:%olstice-0*.Cpg/wiki/Image:%olstice-0*.Cpg<a arcs at 0*D latitu!e

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/wiki/Image:%olstice-,*.Cpg/wiki/Image:%olstice-,*.Cpg<a arcs at ,*D latitu!e, pole 6he e5planation given in the previous section is use#ul #or observers in outer space. 6he woul! see how the 3arth revolves aroun! the %un an! how the !istribution o# sunlight on the planet woul! change over the ear. 6o observers on 3arth, it is also use#ul to see how the %un seems to revolve aroun! them. 6hese pictures show such a perspective as #ollows. 6he show the !a arcs o# the %un, the paths the %un tracks along the celestial !ome in its !iurnal movement. 6he pictures show this #or ever hour on both solstice !a s. 6he longer arc is alwa s the summer track an! the shorter one the winter track. 6he two tracks are at a !istance o# /-.22D &) J )..//D' awa #rom each other. In a!!ition, some 4ghost4 suns are in!icate! below the horiFon, as much as +2D !own. 6he %un in this area causes twilight. 6he pictures can be use! #or both the northern an! southern hemispheres. 6he observer is suppose! to sit near the tree on the islan! in the mi!!le o# the ocean. 6he green arrows give the car!inal !irections. Gn the northern hemisphere the north is to the le#t, the %un rises in the east &#ar arrow', culminates in the south &to the right' while moving to the right an! sets in the west &near arrow'. Koth rise an! set positions are !isplace! towar!s the north in summer, an! towar!s the south #or the winter track. Gn the southern hemisphere the south is to the le#t, the %un rises in the east &near arrow', culminates in the north &to the right' while moving to the le#t an! sets in the west &#ar arrow'. Koth rise an! set positions are !isplace! towar!s the south in summer, an! towar!s the north #or the winter track. 6he #ollowing special cases are !epicte!. Gn the e9uator the %un is not overhea! ever !a , as some people think. In #act that happens onl on two !a s o# the ear, the e9uino5es. 6he solstices are the !ates that the %un sta s #arthest awa #rom the Fenith, onl reaching an altitu!e o# --.0-D either to the north or the south. 6he onl thing special about the e9uator is that all !a s o# the ear, solstices inclu!e!, have roughl the same length o# about +) hours, so that it makes no sense to talk about summer an! winter. Instea!, tropical areas o#ten have wet an! !r seasons. 6he !a arcs at )*D latitu!e. 6he %un culminates at /-.0-D altitu!e in winter an! ,..//D altitu!e in summer. In this case an angle larger than ,*D means that the culmination takes place at an altitu!e o# 2-.0-D in the opposite car!inal !irection. $or e5ample in the southern hemisphere, the %un remains in the north !uring winter, but can reach over the Fenith to the south in mi!summer. %ummer !a s are longer than winter !a s, but the !i##erence is no more than two or three hours. 6he !ail path o# the %un is steep at the horiFon the whole ear roun!, resulting in a twilight o# onl about one hour. 6he !a arcs at 0*D latitu!e. 6he winter %un !oes not rise more than +-.0-D above the horiFon at mi!!a , an! -..//D in summer above the same horiFon !irection. 6he !i##erence in the length o# the !a between summer an! winter is striking. 7ikewise is the !i##erence in !irection o# sunrise an! sunset. Elso note the !i##erent steepness o# the !ail path o# the %un above the horiFon in summer an! winter. It is much shallower in winter. 6here#ore not onl is the %un not reaching as high, it also seems not to be in a hurr to !o so. Kut conversel this means that in summer the %un is not in a hurr to !ip !eepl below the horiFon at night. Et this latitu!e at mi!night the summer sun is onl +-.0-D below the horiFon, which means that astronomical twilight continues the whole night. 6his phenomenon is known as the gre nights, nights when it !oes not get !ark enough #or astronomers to !o their observations. Ebove -*D latitu!e the %un woul! be even closer to the horiFon, onl -.0-D awa #rom it. 6hen ci!il twilight continues the whole night. 6his phenomenon is known as the white nights. En! above --D latitu!e, o# course, one woul! get the mi!night sun.

6he !a arcs at 1*D latitu!e. Et local noon the winter %un culminates at L..//D, an! the summer %un at /..//D. %ai! another wa , !uring the winter the %un !oes not rise above the horiFon, it is the polar night. 6here will be still a strong twilight though. Et local mi!night the summer %un culminates at ..//D, sai! another wa , it !oes not set, it is the polar !a . 6he !a arcs at the pole. Ell the time the %un is )..//D above or below the horiFon, !epen!ing on whether it is the summer or winter solstice. In the latter case, that is enough to not even have an twilight. Ell !irections are north at the %outh Pole an! south at the :orth pole. 6here is also no south at the %outh Pole, no north at the :orth Pole, an! neither east nor west is !iscernible at either pole. <ue to atmospheric re#raction, the %un ma alrea! appear above the horiFon when the real, geometric %un is still below it.

%edit& $ultural aspects

;an cultures celebrate various combinations o# the winter an! summer solstices, the e9uino5es, an! the mi!points between them, lea!ing to various holi!a s arising aroun! these events. $or the <ecember solstice, =hristmas is the most popular holi!a to have arisen. In a!!ition, Mal!a, %aturnalia, Narachun, @anukkah, NwanFaa an! Mule &see winter solstice #or more' are also celebrate! aroun! this time. $or the June solstice, =atholic an! :or!ic Protestant cultures celebrate the #east o# %t. John #rom June ). to June )/ &see %t. John4s 3ve, Ivan Nupala <a , ;i!summer', while the Oiccan culture observes 7itha. $or the vernal &spring' e9uino5, several spring-time #estivals are celebrate!, such as the observance in Ju!aism o# Passover. 6he autumnal e9uino5 has also given rise to various holi!a s, such as the Jewish holi!a o# %ukkot. Et the mi!points between these #our solar events, cross-9uarter !a s are celebrate!. In man cultures the solstices an! e9uino5es tra!itionall !etermine the mi!point o# the seasons, which can be seen in the celebrations calle! mi!summer an! mi!winter. Elong this vein, the Japanese celebrate the start o# each season with an occurrence known as %etsubun. In mo!ern western culture, the solstices an! e9uino5es are instea! !esignate! the beginning o# each season,>citation needed? as the cumulative cooling an! warming that result #rom the tilt o# the planet become most pronounce! after the solstices. In the @in!u calen!ar, two si!ereal solstices are name! "ttara ana an! <akshina ana. 6he #ormer occurs aroun! Januar +/ each ear, while the latter occurs aroun! Jul +/ each ear. 6hese mark the movement o# the %un along a si!ereall #i5e! Fo!iac &precession is ignore!' into ;esha, a Fo!iacal sign which correspon!e! with Eries about )20, an! into 6ula, the opposite Fo!iacal sign which correspon!e! with 7ibra about )20.