Many people look forward to this special day. They say now the days will be getting longer. But, not so fast. From Dec. 19 to Dec 22. day length stays the same unless you want to count the seconds.
I do find winter solstice an interesting day. It's interesting that they think ancient people knew and predicted the winter solstice accurately. I find it interesting that in much of the world people were nomads and lived outdoors. They did not have permanent housing. Since they were outside they could spend time watching the skies. They knew about phases of the moon, stars, comets, northern lights and constellations.
When I was a child growing up in the 40's we played outside in the snow after supper. We did not have electricity so the farmyard was dark. Many days I can remember watching the skies. I know that I didn't know much about the winter solstice. Many nights were clear and you had a good view of the night skies. We particularly liked the moon as it gave some light to play out doors.
We would go outside after supper when Dad would take care of the animals in the barn. The animals were fed and the cows milked. When we got to be about 8 years old we started milking cows too.
I have concerns about the people of today. There is too much light for us to see the skies clearly. People do not spend time outside in the evening. I fear that they will not know much about the night skies as well as the winter solstice.
So today, the sun rose at 8:42 AM and set at 4:24 PM for a total of 7 hours and 41 minutes of daylight.
It was warmer here today but not because of the solstice. We had a nice sunny plus one Celsius today.
Red, I enjoyed your post. I’ll bet you’ve heard the fuss about drones being spotted at night above our metropolitan areas in eastern states. Nobody seems to know what the drones are up to. A Baltimore, Maryland, newspaper said this, “Here in Maryland for example, former Governor Larry Hogan posted a video of what he said were drones flying over his home. But some experts said all his camera captured was Orion's Belt.” On the evening news here in Seattle I happened to see the Governor’s video and immediately recognized Orion’s belt. Anyone interested in astronomy knows about the constellation of Orion and the 3 stars that make up the belt. So, as you said, “People do not spend time outside in the evening. I fear that they will not know much about the night skies as well as the winter solstice.” Red, you are right on! John
ReplyDeleteWe can add to this that people are not out in the natural word and lose any connection with wild plants and animals.
DeleteI grew up in a small northern town. I miss seeing the sky. It was so beautiful in winter with the stars and the northern lights.
ReplyDeleteThe north has a special outdoor appeal.
DeleteThanks for your childhood winter recap. Never thought about no electricity and not having a porch or driveway light on. Yep, it's really dark in spots without a lot of city lights. Driving around some parts of Hawaii at night is really dark, but good if the moon is full. Stay warm! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember darkness in Hawaii. They must have less street lights.
DeleteFunny thing, Red. Last night, we walked out of a house lit by kerosene lanterns at the top of a snowy mountain and it was completely and perfectly black. No lights in the yard. No visible stars or moon because we were having a snow storm. I was trying to remember how long it had been since I was in true darkness.
ReplyDeleteI also thought of you today. In a few of your posts, you have talked about the chinook. I read about Spearfish, ND. The temperature went from -4F to 45F in just 2 minutes because of a warm chinook. It happened in 1943, the year before you started school.
When they turn lights off in mines it is total darkness. We get chinooks here but rarely got a chinook where I was brought up in Saskatchewan.
DeleteTo never have proper darkness at night, means that our bodies don't have a proper time to relax and rebuild for the next day. You end up feeling stretched...
ReplyDeleteNow that's a new idea and it makes sense.
DeleteBeing the "free range" kid that you were, I imagine you learned and experienced things you would never learn or experience in school. Your childhood playtime gave you a wealth of knowledge! I enjoyed reading this post!
ReplyDeleteToday's kids are very much controlled They don't learn much for themselves. They lack independence.
DeleteWe live in our hermetically sealed houses, cut off from the real world. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteI did lots of backpacking so sleeping in tents. It's like a different world.
DeleteHow wonderful to have had a childhood that was not illuminated by electric light. It reminds me of "my" island in the Pacific when islanders came out and socialised or finished off jobs under the light of the full moon. Above, the sky was as clear as crystal and beyond the closest stars there were galaxies behind galaxies. You had a visible sense of just how enormous our universe is - as you and your family will have experienced at Esk.
ReplyDeleteIt was not only space you could sense but as you saw the land wet on forever.
DeleteI am looking forward to the longer daylight.
ReplyDeleteIt is super cold here, only 15 degrees this morning.
Have a happy holiday week!
I think we all look forward to more light and warmth. We will have above 0 C for Christmas.
DeleteSeconds count when the thought of having past the shortest day is mentally exciting.
ReplyDeleteMost people have no idea that he time is counted in seconds.
DeleteIt wasn't warm here. Temperature went down to the old 0, and the house down to 15C overnight. We set the furnace there at night. I don't know how cold it would have gotten inside otherwise.
ReplyDeleteOur thermostat low setting is 16 C
DeleteI remember learning some of the constellations when I was in high school but that's about all for my knowledge of the skies. Light pollution around here stops us from seeing a lot of the details in the sky. I do love a beautiful sunrise or sunset and the bright full moon is always a treat to see in the sky.
ReplyDeleteSunrises and sunsets can be spectacular.
DeleteThe return of the sun, though slow initially, is a welcome thought this time of year.
ReplyDeleteThe light returns ever so slowly.
DeleteRed, I really don't observe the sky at all. I'm always indoors and if I venture out there are too many lights and buildings to get much of a view.
ReplyDeleteI should try harder
I live in a small city and it's hard to see much in the sky. When I came here in 1969 we could see much more. There weren't so many lights.
DeleteI spent a good part of my childhood in California, so we played outside a lot, since it was mild. I still play outdoors, but just during the hikes I go on every Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteMy playtime outdoors is getting less.
DeleteI grew up in rural Oregon where being outside was part of work and play. I remember my mother well into her 80's going outside in the dark to look at the sky.
ReplyDeleteYour mother had spent all her life in that situation. She probably looked at similar things every day.
DeleteBe nice to see the sun again.
ReplyDeleteAnd along with the sun comes warmth.
DeleteWe live more west in our time zone and keep light later in the day. In winter it's light to five, in summer to ten.
ReplyDeleteI like it when the days get longer:) Happy Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteI hope it's not too cold right now. It's January as I write this. I don't quite feel like the days are getting longer here in Hawaii yet. In Chicago, January was always the coldest month. I remember that cold drive to school when the car would have a hard time warming up. Luckily my school was just 10 minutes away.
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