The Winter Solstice is almost upon us (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), and according to many that brings on the first day of Winter. I wonder if we should tell that to all those digging out from this year’s early snowstorms. But December 22nd does, at least, have the longest night and the shortest day.
Because the axis of the earth is tilted, as we make our yearly journey around the sun different parts of the earth receive increasing or decreasing amounts of sunlight. And the amount of sunlight, of course, affects the temperature. But as with most things in nature, it’s not quite as simple as it sounds.
If you heat a pot of water on a stove, turning off the burner doesn’t immediately bring the liquid back to room temperature. In the same manner, after the oceans and landmasses have been heated during the summer, the warming effects don’t disappear as soon as the days start becoming shorter.
Of course the same is true in reverse, and it will be a while before we see the first signs of a new season. But the solstice is the turning point, both in the gradual change in the angle of the sun’s rays, and in the number of hours we can spend outdoors watching things like the changing seasons.
By December of most years we’ve retreated from the northern cold, with our journey usually ending in the deserts of the Southwest. Some people go to the deserts only to escape - we return year after year because we love the open spaces, the low humidity, and the many desert creatures that live there year-round.
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