The shortest day of the year: on the solstice, new life begins. Winter Solstice December 21 is the shortest day of the year.
The winter solstice is the most important astronomical event in December, which falls on the 21st and reaches its peak at 16:28 Moscow time.
"Belly" to the Sun
What is the astronomical meaning of this phenomenon? December 21 marks the moment of the maximum possible angle of inclination of the Earth relative to the Sun. This angle is 23°26. The Earth, as it were, is turned with its “belly” towards the Sun, and its head (the north pole) looks in the other direction, because of which the rays of the luminary fall on the surface casually.
Each of us noticed that in winter the sun never rises high. So, on December 21, 2017, it will be as low as possible above the horizon. Because of this, the day will be the shortest (in Moscow - only seven hours), and the night will be the longest of the year.
At some point, the Earth will cross an imaginary line, after which each subsequent day will give us a little more light, and by the New Year, daylight hours will increase by almost eight minutes.
The real astronomical winter comes just after the winter solstice. According to experts, in the northern hemisphere it is the peak of winter, while in the southern hemisphere it is the equator of summer, the day of the winter solstice there on June 20th.
The date of the winter solstice almost never changes. The exception is leap years: then what is happening is shifted to December 22 (June 21 - for the south). Other important dates similar to this one are the summer solstice, spring and autumn equinoxes.
From the history of the issue
It turns out that the winter solstice was established more than two thousand years ago. Back in 45 BC. e. Emperor Julius Caesar in his calendar officially determined the date of the winter solstice for Europe - December 25th.
But since the calendar year (365.2500 days) and the tropical year (~365.2421897 days) are not equivalent, every 400 years the actual astronomical solstice shifted back by about three days. In the 16th century, the phenomenon fell already on December 12th.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decided to restore the exact correspondence between the seasons and the civil year. Guided by the provisions of the Council of Nicaea in 325, he annulled the ten-day error accumulated from the 4th to the 16th centuries. True, he did not take into account the three days that ran between the 1st and 4th centuries. This calendar adjustment moved the northern hemisphere winter solstice to around December 22nd.
So far in the Gregorian calendar, the solstice has fluctuated by one or two days. In the future, there may be an additional shift of one day every 3000 years.
Scholars believe that the solstices have been special moments in the annual cycle since Neolithic times. Astronomical events governed the cycle of day and night, the ebb and flow of the tide, the mating periods of animals, and people have understood this since ancient times. Focusing on the sun, they sowed and harvested crops, kept house, celebrated holidays and prayed to their gods.
This is evidenced by the layout of many archaeological sites of the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. For example, the main axes of the Newgrange monument (Ireland) are carefully aligned and indicate on the day of the winter solstice the main axes of the Newgrange monument (Ireland) and the sunset - the axes of the Stonehenge monument (Great Britain).
A feast before the unknown
The winter solstice was extremely important in the life of the primitive community: people doubted that they could survive the winter months - not only frosty, but also hungry.
So the winter solstice was the last holiday before the beginning of the difficult winter period, when fresh meat was consumed the most. Livestock were massively slaughtered - in the cold there was nothing to feed them.
In addition, by the last ten days of December, most of the wine and beer made in the warm season, reached the readiness, and it was drinkable. A kind of winter festival began - a feast, followed by the unknown.
It was the days of the solstices and equinoxes, with the special role of the Sun in the sky, that served as the impetus for the emergence of various deities and traditions.
For example, in Greek mythology, the gods and goddesses celebrated the winter and summer solstices. These days, even the god of the underworld, Hades, was allowed to appear on Mount Olympus.
The Slavs celebrated the national holiday Kolyada on the day of the winter solstice, the Germanic peoples - Yule, the Romans until the 3rd century - Sol Invictus.
See with my own eyes
It is difficult to observe the solstices with the naked eye: the luminary moves to the peak point so slowly that it is difficult to determine the specific day of the phenomenon, not to mention its instant.
Knowing the time of an event down to an instant has only recently become possible, thanks to accurate tracking of astronomical data.
The actual moment of the solstice is impossible to detect by definition. It is impossible to notice that the object has stopped moving. We can only state that in the current measurement, he did not change his position compared to the previous measurement.
Thus, most observations state the day of the solstice, and not its instant.
The winter solstice is an astronomical event associated with the maximum angle of inclination of the earth's axis relative to the sun. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the height of the sun above the horizon is minimal. This date may be December 21 or 22.
In ancient times, the day of the winter solstice for different peoples of the Earth symbolized the beginning of a new year, the rebirth of the world after winter, the end of cold and darkness. In many cultures, this day is celebrated as a New Year's holiday.
The ancient Slavs on the shortest day of the year celebrated a pagan holiday - Kolyada. The onset of a new annual cycle was associated with him, and Kolyada himself acted as the baby sun.
The inhabitants of Europe in the pre-Christian era also celebrated this day as a New Year's holiday. In Scotland, it was customary to launch a sun wheel - a barrel set on fire, smeared with resin, which symbolized the solstice. Among the Germanic peoples, the pagan New Year was called Yule.
In ancient China, this day was also revered as a symbol of the rebirth of life. On the day of the winter solstice, no one worked, and everyone - from the emperor to the simple Chinese - rested and celebrated.
And in southern warm India, the winter solstice is still celebrated and this holiday is called Sankranti. On the night before the celebration, Singhs and Hindus light bonfires, symbolizing the warmth of the sun, which will soon warm the frozen Earth with its rays.
Today in Russia, the winter solstice is no longer celebrated as a New Year's holiday. This date in our minds is associated with the longest night and the shortest day of the year. In 2017, we will observe the winter solstice on December 21st.
Most of the population of our country believes that the winter day has become very short, and the sun shines very low. But on the territory of Russia there are cities in which the sun has not shined at all for three weeks now, the polar night reigns there. Let's see how long this day will be in different cities of Russia.
City Day length hours minutes 1 Derbent 9 6 2 Vladivostok 8 59 3 Volgograd 8 6 4 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 7 24 5 Novosibirsk, Omsk 7 10 6 Moscow, Kazan 7 0 7 Krasnoyarsk 6 56 8 Nizhny Novgorod 6 53 9 Yekaterinburg 6 45 10 Saint Petersburg 5 45 11 Surgut 5 26 12 Mirny (Yakutia) 4 49 13 Oymyakon 4 29 14 Arkhangelsk 3 53 15 Anadyr 3 46 16 Novy Urengoy 2 43 17 Salekhard 2 13 18 Kandalaksha 1 13 19 Murmansk, polar night from December 2 to 11 January 20 Vorkuta, polar night from December 17 to December 27 Norilsk, polar night from November 30 to January 13
If you look at this table, then the realization that we live in a very large country takes place on a somewhat different level. These are not dry square kilometers, but a difference in daylight hours of 9 hours! And on the day of the winter solstice in some cities of Russia, people will not see the sunrise. But in summer, this shortcoming will be more than made up for by the polar day, as if showing that nature is equally fair to everyone.
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Since ancient times, people have believed that at this time you can attract many positive changes in your life in terms of material wealth and well-being.
After reading this article, you can find out what is the longest and shortest night of the year.
People of many nationalities believed in the unusual mystical power of the solstice time. This magical period, according to many, is characterized by the incredible strength of its energy and is marked by the longest night.
Before we know which night is the longest of the year, let us briefly consider what this time represented for people who lived in former ages.
General information from history
In Russia, since the 18th century, a rather interesting rite has been associated with this day (winter solstice). The elder of the bell-ringers of the Moscow cathedral, who was in charge of the clock, came to bow to the tsar. On this day, he reported to the ruler that the sun had turned to the summer, the day was slowly beginning to increase, and the night was going to decrease. The king, in turn, rewarded the headman with money for such good news.
December 22 can be called the New Year, but natural. Sun at 9:11 p.m. December 21, Moscow time, falls as much as possible into the southern hemisphere, thus, astronomical winter sets in. At the latitude of Moscow, the day length is 6 hours 56 minutes.
Quite a long dark from 21 to 22 December. The sun sets the lowest after just such a night - on the day of the winter solstice. It is also called the solstice.
In everyday life, this phenomenon is imperceptible to people, but it is perfectly demonstrated in special images taken by astronomers. The sun is photographed at the same time all year round, then all the images are combined into one image. It shows an analemma - a bizarre trajectory of a change in the location of a star in the sky. It represents the shape of a figure eight, on which the very edge of the lower loop corresponds to the solstice. So, the longest night is from December 21 to 22.
After this "New Year" the day gradually begins to increase until it is comparable in duration to the night, and this is the day of the vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20th. Then (June 21) comes the summer solstice, when the day is the longest, but the night is the shortest.
Most fun night
The longest night of the year (the number is given above) is also the most fun for many peoples.
The ancient peoples of Great Britain many centuries ago tried to joke a lot, laugh and have fun on this night. People believed that the problems voiced in the form of jokes that night would definitely be positively resolved soon. They were sure that the more fun during this period, the more successful the coming year will be.
On the mystical power of a significant period
The longest night of the year in the view of many peoples has mystical power. It has long been believed that the solstice is a significant day. During this period, there is a revival of all the brightest, and the subsequent addition of hours of daylight hours marks the victory of light over darkness.
The meeting of this significant time always took place in a special way: folk holidays were timed to coincide with it. The Celts, for example, during this period celebrated Yule (analogous to the New Year). Slavic peoples on the day of the solstice revered Karachun (the deity of cold and darkness, the lord of winter).
According to the beliefs of the Slavs, on this night, darkness conquers light, and with the advent of a new morning, everything ends happily. With the victory of light comes the renewal of the world, victory triumphs over evil.
In the cultures of different peoples, the time of the winter solstice (the longest night of the year) was considered the most favorable for various rituals and rituals. Many of them, which came from antiquity, can be applied now, since the strength of the longest night of the year has not diminished over time, and people, as before, always have a desire to change themselves and their lives for the better.
The energy of the transition from darkness to light (renewal) helps to get rid of everything unnecessary and attract the desired.
Ritual for getting rid of problems
When the longest night of the year passes, it becomes possible to experience the beneficial effects of the solstice for yourself.
Rites are especially effective at such a time (energetically saturated) as the day of the solstice. You should take advantage of this opportunity, because such a period happens only 2 times a year.
The ritual for getting rid of various problems is especially relevant, due to the fact that the solstice occurs almost before the New Year. Everyone wants to move into a new stage of life, leaving failures and difficulties behind. And it is precisely such a period that can help in this: the energy message sent to the Universe during the ritual is a reliable tool in solving problems.
It is necessary to carry out the ceremony in solitude, after the sun has gone beyond the horizon. What is it? You should light a candle and, peering into the fire, think about the troubles and problems that interfere with life and which you want to get rid of. At the same time, say the following words: “I drive away darkness with fire, I save myself from oppression. The night will pass - it will take away my problems with it. As the day increases, my life will be filled with happiness. To be this."
After these words, the candle should burn for some time in a safe place, and before going to bed it should be extinguished and the ritual completed with the following words: "Let everything that you wish come true."
Conclusion
December 22 is such a long night! It can help to do many important things: to meet, make up, think and make wishes, analyze the past and think about the future...
Get ready to meet the sun more often! After all, today 21 December, US residents could watch the so-called winter solstice, and tomorrow the day will be getting longer.
Winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year in northern hemisphere, while in southern hemisphere everything happens exactly the opposite.
Astronomer Stephen Schneider CBS News answered 7 key questions that will help you better understand and understand this phenomenon.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice occurs at the moment when the maximum angle of inclination of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun is 23.5 degrees. On this day in Arctic The sun does not rise above the horizon at all.
When does the winter solstice occur?
According to the National Weather Service, in 2017 the winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 16:27 GMT or 11:27 am New York time.
Why doesn't the winter solstice occur on the same day every year?
The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year for people in different time zones. Typically, this happens around December 21st or 22nd, although on rare occasions it can even be December 20th or 23rd, according to Weather Channel.
Is the winter solstice the coldest day of the year?
« The coldest time of the year usually comes after a month or two, because even though there is more sunlight, there is still not enough of it to "overpower" the cooling.', says Schneider. " This effect is called "time delay"».
Will the shadows be longer on the solstice?
Today the shadows will be longer for those in the Northern Hemisphere because the sun will not rise high in the sky. The closer you are to the Arctic, the longer the shadows will be (and the shorter your day).
Why is the earliest sunset not on the shortest day?
Early sunsets do not depend on the solstice, but on the latitude of the area where you live or are located. According to EarthSky.org if you live in the southern states of the USA, the earliest sunsets in the area will be at the end of November. If you are in the north, then they will be around December 7th.
What does all this have to do with Stonehenge?
For over 4 thousand years stonehenge served as a sundial for our ancestors. The sun makes its annual movement in such a way that on the shortest day of the year, it sets just opposite the central part of Stonehenge, where it rose in midsummer, June 21st.
« Ancient structures that track the shift of the sun's position between the poles have been found all over the world. Stonehenge is one of the largest such structures, laid down perhaps 5,000 years ago.," Schneider said.
The shortest day of the year is December 21 or 22 (depending on the shift in the calendar). It has a special name - "Winter Solstice Day". This is the day of the shortest daylight hours (only 5 hours 53 minutes) and the longest night. From the next day, as you know, it begins to gradually increase. In scientific terms, this is due to the fact that the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the Sun takes on a maximum value.
In many cultures, this day has always been a significant event, always associated with rebirth. For example, in primitive culture, the beginning of the Solstice was not exactly a joyful day, it was more associated with the onset of hunger. Because primitive people did not really know how much stock they needed to prepare for times of cold weather. In the Early Middle Ages, this was a holiday, as beer and wine were mostly matured by mid-December.
Longest day of the year
The longest day of the year occurs on June 21 or 20. You have probably already noticed that it is light outside even at 23:00. True, then, as with the “winter”, daylight hours begin to slowly decrease, this becomes noticeable already in August.
In the modern world, the days of the winter and summer solstices are not a holiday, but a lot of traditions have survived to this day. For example, carols beloved by children were originally dedicated on December 20, only then they migrated to the post-Christmas weeks until Epiphany (January 19). In ancient Egypt, the priests attached great importance to the summer solstice. In Russia, the holiday is better known as Ivan Kupala Day, when the celebrants bathe, jump over bonfires, guess and look for fern branches (which, according to legend, bloom on this particular holiday).
It is difficult to observe the solstice due to the fact that the sun is slowly moving towards its point. Only very recently have scientists begun to determine the exact time of an event down to the instant.