Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Well, the nights are drawing in.....

lukebl

By lukebl
in The Astro Lounge

Recommended Posts

Ant

Ant

Posted
Posted

Technically they aren't yet. 

The nights are now getting shorter, but the evenings continue to draw out slightly for the next couple of nights. But the Mornings draw in slightly more, hence the longer night... 

How the mechanics of this work is beyond me, its been explained a few times to me and makes little sense to my uneducated brain.

Ant 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DaveS

DaveS

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Ant said:

Technically they aren't yet. 

The nights are now getting shorter, but the evenings continue to draw out slightly for the next couple of nights. But the Mornings draw in slightly more, hence the longer night... 

How the mechanics of this work is beyond me, its been explained a few times to me and makes little sense to my uneducated brain.

Ant 

 

I think it's to do with the way the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit interacts with the axial tilt. See the CO graphic

annual_darkness.png

See how the lobes are asymmetric.

 

Winter Is Coming :evil4: :D.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ant

Ant

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, DaveS said:

I think it's to do with the way the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit interacts with the axial tilt. See the CO graphic

annual_darkness.png

See how the lobes are asymmetric.

 

Winter Is Coming :evil4: :D.

Not saying its wrong at all - just its counter intuitive and make no sense. As I eluded to earlier, I'm a bit dim at times :) 

But lets not take away the point of the thread - WINTER IS COMING :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JOC

JOC

Posted
Posted

What I've often wondered is - if today is the longest day, which is the shortest night - the one before the longest day starts or the one at the end of the longest day?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pondus

Pondus

Posted
Posted
19 minutes ago, JOC said:

What I've often wondered is - if today is the longest day, which is the shortest night - the one before the longest day starts or the one at the end of the longest day?

It all Depends on where you live :

If you live in Tromsø of Norway, there is technically no night between 22.may - 21.july ; the sun will not be below the horizon at all in this period. ('land of the midnight sun etc' :glasses9:).  Edit : Practically this period is longer; we 'see' the sun even when its below the horizon.

At summer solstice on my location, the sun will be 7 degrees 9 arc minutes below the horizon (bit lower tomorrow nite).

The suns at Tropic of Cancer tonite. And 'turning'...

 

Rune

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oobydooby

oobydooby

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, DaveS said:

I think it's to do with the way the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit interacts with the axial tilt. See the CO graphic

annual_darkness.png

See how the lobes are asymmetric.

 

Winter Is Coming :evil4: :D.

Ah, now I get it.  Knock an egg timer on it's side and the nights get longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

As the time it gets dark is still getting a little later and so I assume that the sun is setting a bit more in the West until what I guess is midsummer (?) after which I suppose it starts to move back Eastwards I guess that this is what places like Stonehenge is actually measuring = The furthest extent of the path of the Sun.

They would not I guess have been able to tell the subtle time extention of period of daylight and period of darkness, watches were not that good/accurate back in about 2000BC. But could simply measure the furthest extent of the sun's path.

Have noticed that more programs are mentioning midsummer now and not quite as much summer solstice.

Ultimately it is just a couple of days as I see someone has said midsummer = 24th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bejay1957

bejay1957

Posted
Posted

Recent archaeological research is rather moving away from the Stonehenge 'astronomical calculator'; a recent documentary on Channel 5 Stonehenge: The Final Mystery even suggested that the NE/SW midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset 'alignment' was perhaps following earlier geological ground markings that exist in what became the Cursus.  I always liked the 'astronomical calculator' theory(s), although it would suggest that in order to assemble the various stones in the right places, that prehistoric man must first have spent many decades observing/recording and understanding the solar/lunar cycles?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gina

Gina

Posted
Posted

Ah yes, summer starts on the 21st , midsummer on the 24th so summer ends on 27th...  Seems logical to me :D  I think we had it slightly early this year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bejay1957

bejay1957

Posted
Posted

Think its true that while the solstice day is regarded as the astronomical start of summer, midsummer day is the ritual/celebration of the middle of summer, a (pagan) fire festival between Beltane and Lammas/Lughnasadh - a bit like midwinter celebrations carrying on after the actual solstice day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cloudsweeper

cloudsweeper

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, cotterless45 said:

Superb ! Three minutes more dark ever day , even south of the wall, "winter is coming !"

Roll on this long winter nights , set up at four and get in some lovely observing,

old Nick.

.........and there's still time afterwards for a nice relaxing drink (whatever your taste) before a sensible bedtime!

Marvellous!

Doug.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.