When I was in elementary school, they taught us that the Earth’s orbit was elliptical and that the winter solstice was when the earth was farthest from the sun. Of course, along with such things as “electron orbits”, that bit of informationcan be filed under “misleading oversimplifications to give kids a basic idea of what is going on”.
What are you going to do? Yes, the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, but not terribly so. The key differential between the solstices is that the hemispheres are closer or farther from the sun due to the Earth’s axial tilt.
Solstice has always had cultural significance of course. For the Pagans, it’s viewed as a time of rebirth, for early Christians it was the ideal location to move Christ’s Mass, and for those of us who work in windowless environments, it’s the day where we have absolutely no chance whatsoever of seeing the bloody sun!
Of course, the solstice isn’t really until Monday morning, but hey, I don’t update on Mondays… Have a good day!
For those looking for contest points, let’s keep with the current theme and look for the tales of a slightly stir-crazy earth!
How can the moon be romantic when it is all alone itself? I’m so confused.
Perhaps the romance is found in the longing…