The Solstice, Part 1
The solstice is almost here. For us northern hemispherians, it’s the winter solstice–shortest day of the year. For our friends south of the equator, it’s the summeriest, longest day of the year, which is why Australians celebrate Christmas with a day at the beach, and Christmas sweaters are not a thing.
By Katie McKissick
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
The solstice is almost here. For us northern hemispherians, it's the winter solstice--shortest day of the year. For our friends south of the equator, it's the summeriest, longest day of the year, which is why Australians celebrate Christmas with a day at the beach, and Christmas sweaters are not a thing.
The seasons are one of the most commonly misunderstood fundamental science concepts out there. Many people think that it's summer because the earth gets closer to the sun, which also means they have forgotten that when it's summer in one hemisphere, it's winter in the other one.
Because the earth is tilted, as we go around the sun, one side gets a bit more attention from the sun. And of course, here is what I imagine that to be like.
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To be continued in June 2014!
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