Good Pagan folk, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Give ye heed to what we say
News! News!
Our Lord the Sun is born today
Great him as the dawn's first light
Bids farewell to dark of night
The Sun returns today
The Sun returns today
Etc., etc. And if you decide to visit this interesting pagan carol site, be sure to scroll down over on the left side of the page for "Faunus the Roman Goat-God," which I was not daring enough to post here... http://willow.creative-interweb.com/libr…
Today I'm preparing leg of lamb with fresh herbs for the solstice. And I just sacrificed 24 crickets to my hens, that they may bless me with a bounty of extra rich eggs. Ommmmmmmmm.......
Okay, I'll be Mr. Picky-Nits o this one, since astronomy is presumably still on many people's minds this morning aprez eclipse.
Today is NOT "the shortest day of the year", because all days, (a "day" being defined as the length of time it takes for the earth to make a complete rotation on its axis) are the same length. So, the headline should read "Today is the Day With Least Amount of Daylight In The Northern Hemisphere This Year." (because, you know, it's just the opposite below the equator, where today they get the greatest amount of daylight for the year.)
Not nearly as sexy - or brief - I admit, but far more accurate.
@12, ahem, a "day" can be defined that way, and it can also be defined as the daylight period of an astronomical day, in contrast to "night". Words don't have single meanings, and astronomy is not more important than English.
It's the shortest day of the year. Accuracy = 100%.
@13, but Dennis Day is dead, and Doris's son Terry was named Melcher, so surely she's the shortest Day. Well, Stockwell Day is only three feet tall, but he's Canadian, so he doesn't count.
Well this isn't a solstice song, it is a rather unorthodox Christmas song, but it does reference the 21st of December and have a very basic recipe for gravy. It is my favorite.
And did you know that Stockwell Day promised to hold a referendum on any issue that 3% of the voters asked for, so Rick Mercer got over 600,000 signatures petitioning Day to change his first name to Doris.
No, it's a solar day. A sidereal day (which, at 23 hours 56 minutes is slightly shorter than a solar day) is defined as the length of time that passes between a given fixed star in the sky crossing a given projected meridian line of longitude. The difference is caused by the fact that, as the earth orbits the sun, it has to rotate slightly more than one full-turn on its axis with respect to the fixed star in order to reach the same earth-sun orientation.
Basically, we were taught that solar time is - naturally - fixed to the sun, while sidereal (or conversely the even-more-accurate stellar) time are fixed to stars.
"... [is] defined as the length of time it takes for the earth to make a complete rotation on its axis..."
A complete rotation on its axis is 360 degrees, which is what it takes for a given fixed star to return to a projected meridian, which is, as you say, a sidereal day. A solar day is an approximately 361 degree turn on the earth's axis.
Why is the solstice considered the first day of Winter?
To me it make more sense (scientifically) to designate the mid-point between the equinox and solstice as the start / end of a season, and have the middle of the season coinciding with the shortest / longest / equal day length.
I love the passing of the winter solstice. It's still depressingly dismally dark for most of the 24 hours but at least it begins to be slightly lighter each day.
Happy first day of winter, all.
Etc., etc. And if you decide to visit this interesting pagan carol site, be sure to scroll down over on the left side of the page for "Faunus the Roman Goat-God," which I was not daring enough to post here...
http://willow.creative-interweb.com/libr…
Though I was hoping for something maybe a little more scientifically-minded. Does anyone know a rhyme for "23.44"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ftld7Oho…
Today is NOT "the shortest day of the year", because all days, (a "day" being defined as the length of time it takes for the earth to make a complete rotation on its axis) are the same length. So, the headline should read "Today is the Day With Least Amount of Daylight In The Northern Hemisphere This Year." (because, you know, it's just the opposite below the equator, where today they get the greatest amount of daylight for the year.)
Not nearly as sexy - or brief - I admit, but far more accurate.
Oh, and - Happy Solstice!
But defined as ", Doris: an American actress and singer born in 1924" none of this makes any sense. Whatever. Que sera, sera.
It's the shortest day of the year. Accuracy = 100%.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb4YWJgfm…
Take care, all. I'll be heading out to a wireless dead zone soon and may not have a chance to tell you all that you're loved.
No, it's a solar day. A sidereal day (which, at 23 hours 56 minutes is slightly shorter than a solar day) is defined as the length of time that passes between a given fixed star in the sky crossing a given projected meridian line of longitude. The difference is caused by the fact that, as the earth orbits the sun, it has to rotate slightly more than one full-turn on its axis with respect to the fixed star in order to reach the same earth-sun orientation.
Basically, we were taught that solar time is - naturally - fixed to the sun, while sidereal (or conversely the even-more-accurate stellar) time are fixed to stars.
You said, regarding the definition of "day":
"... [is] defined as the length of time it takes for the earth to make a complete rotation on its axis..."
A complete rotation on its axis is 360 degrees, which is what it takes for a given fixed star to return to a projected meridian, which is, as you say, a sidereal day. A solar day is an approximately 361 degree turn on the earth's axis.
To me it make more sense (scientifically) to designate the mid-point between the equinox and solstice as the start / end of a season, and have the middle of the season coinciding with the shortest / longest / equal day length.