![]() The difference is the time it takes the sun to move through its own diameter in Earth’s sky, which is about two minutes. But instead day starts a little earlier and ends a little later, making it longer than night. If we measured the day starting and ending when the sun’s center breached the horizon, we’d be fine day and night would be equally parsed. ![]() Daytime starts when the topmost bit of the sun rises above the horizon, but it doesn’t end until the topmost bit sinks below the horizon. But it turns out they’re only mostly equal because of a couple of pernicious physical facts.įirst among them is the fact that we measure the length of daytime in a weird way. The trouble’s right in the name: “equinox” means “equal night”, implying that day and night are each 12 hours long. That’s a common misconception and an understandable one. In some ways, defining what the equinox isn’t is easier than describing what it is.įor example, it’s not when the day and night have equal lengths. But also, just reverse the seasons and add six months to the dates as you read them, and you’ll be fine.) There are many more interesting things to see. If you live below the equator, first, congratulations southern skies are far better than northern ones. For the duration of this article, I’ll show my own bias by using the northern names and dates. (Seasons, months and names get a little confusing in this topic because Earth is a tilted ball, and the Southern Hemisphere’s seasons are the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere’s ones. Friday PDT), the sun will be directly over Earth’s equator, which is how astronomers define the equinox. Visit and There are many other similar websites you can visit.Happy September equinox! Or, as we say north of the equator, happy autumnal equinox! They are called the Perseids “because the point at which they appear to hail (called the radiant) lies in the constellation Perseus.” The Perseids were first recorded in 36 AD. The Perseids “are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle,” according to Wikipedia. 2023 is expected to be a good year for viewing because of the moon’s low illumination during the meteor shower’s peak. The best way to view the meteor shower is to find a dark location and give your eyes about 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. 1, that likely will peak around Monday, Aug. There will be a Perseid meteor shower July 14-Sept. ![]() (Perigee is the point at which the moon is nearest Earth syzygy is the alignment of the Earth, moon and sun.) It is the first Blue Moon since August 2021.Ī super moon (technical name is perigee syzygy) occurs when the moon’s orbit brings it closest to Earth. This one is a super blue moon, meaning it will appear a little larger and brighter than usual. 1, and a Blue Moon (the second full moon in a calendar month) at 7:35 p.m. There are two full moons in August: the Full Sturgeon Moon at 12:31 p.m. 5.įollowing the June 3 Full Strawberry Moon is the Full Buck Moon, at 5:39 a.m. 23 which means summer 2023 will last 95 days.Īnd, just in case you were wondering, Daylight Saving Time 2023 ends Sunday, Nov. Summer will end with the autumnal equinox, 12:49 a.m. That will be the exact moment in the northern hemisphere “when the axial tilt of the Earth is at its most inclined toward the sun during its 365-day orbit - at an angle of 23° 26',” according to “The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), (as) the sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice),” according to The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, the northern-most circle of latitude on Earth. MDT Wednesday, June 21 – the summer solstice.Īt that moment, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky on the longest day of the year. Summer 2023 officially begins at 8:57 a.m.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |