Althouse: Solstice.

December 22, 2011

Solstice.

Did you notice?

Onward, into the light... to summer.

22 comments:

The Crack Emcee said...: Onward, into the light... to summer.

In A Black & White World (Assholes Seek Shades Of Gray)

Also, you can't miss Thank God: The Meaning Of Christmas (Lights, Anyway)

O.K., you can - but you shouldn't, because it's kinda cool, anyway,...

And for the record, no, I didn't notice. I'm on a rock hurtling through space. I barely even acknowledge DAYS,...; 12/22/11, 7:35 AM
Scott M said...: Did you notice?

I tried to balance a raw candy cane on it's end, but I can never get it to work. Someday...; 12/22/11, 7:35 AM
KCFleming said...: Notice?!?

Why, I invented it!; 12/22/11, 7:40 AM
Moose said...: Yah, but only due to all the frickin' pagans on my FB Friends list babbling about it.

Solstice celebrations are like Kwanzaa for white people.; 12/22/11, 7:42 AM
Curious George said...: Of course.

"It's the reason for the season!*"

* To the heathen.; 12/22/11, 7:43 AM
Scott M said...: Did you notice?

How many circles of pasty, overweight women sat shivering in the woods last night, only to come home later to find their lives still disappointingly mundane and too full of eye shadow?; 12/22/11, 7:46 AM
KCFleming said...: @Scott M

That'll leave a mark.; 12/22/11, 7:55 AM
DaveW said...: Since the Mayans told us the world ends 12/21/2012 we have 365 days left to live. And keep in mind this is our last Christmas, so might as well make it a good one.; 12/22/11, 8:12 AM
traditionalguy said...: When measuring an object in an orbit as it approaches the picked top point on a circle it seems to flatten out and change its angle little or none for several days/degrees before and after passing that point.

So the sun is still playing games with us and won't come back that you can tell until early January.; 12/22/11, 9:04 AM
Original Mike said...: We astronomers consider this the best day of the year.; 12/22/11, 9:38 AM
edutcher said...: I marked it with two fingers of NyQuil.

Scott M said...

Did you notice?

How many circles of pasty, overweight women sat shivering in the woods last night, only to come home later to find their lives still disappointingly mundane and too full of eye shadow?

Hopefully, they weren't sky clad.; 12/22/11, 10:13 AM
Geoff Matthews said...: I am a very odd person. I don't like sunlight. So I really like it when the days get shorter. Come late January/early February, the longer days start to wear on me.

But, to answer your question, did I notice it? Yes, because I have a child whose birthday is today.; 12/22/11, 10:41 AM
Original Mike said...: Geoff - You should take up astronomy.

I think the sun is too bright on this planet. I'd prefer Mars.; 12/22/11, 11:01 AM
Toad Trend said...: "I am a very odd person. I don't like sunlight."

My son is also like this. Very sensitive to sunlight. This is strange to me.

I on the other hand love the sun.

So from today forth, days grow longer. Really, winter has not yet arrived here in WNY. This is bonus territory for us Buffalonians.

That is not a complaint.; 12/22/11, 11:23 AM
MadisonMan said...: The sun really starts to come back Jan 4th. That's the latest sunrise here in Madison.; 12/22/11, 12:34 PM
Original Mike said...: "The sun really starts to come back Jan 4th. That's the latest sunrise here in Madison."

Yes, but sunset turned around Dec 16th.; 12/22/11, 12:43 PM
ricpic said...: I still don't know whether December 21st or December 22nd is the shortest day of 2011. I believe the actual solstice moment (Earth's northern axis tipped farthest away from the sun) occurred at 12:30 AM on the 22nd. Does that make the 22nd shorter than the 21st?; 12/22/11, 12:50 PM
Anonymous said...: Did I notice?
Yes! I've risen well before dawn the last 2 mornings to go to Mission San Juan Bautista in No. CA to witness the "illumination".
American Indians chanted and played the drums welcoming the new season and day, and inside the Chapel the sunlight shines through a single east-facing window to light up the altar. I have to tell you it was moving!
Brian van der Brug of the Los Angeles Times wrote a piece I wish I could write about it here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-illuminations-20111222,0,328880.story

The woman in the red jacket w/tripod in the back left in the photo accompanying the article is me.; 12/22/11, 4:13 PM
Issob Morocco said...: The ascent to light started strong today.; 12/22/11, 5:32 PM
mariner said...: Damn.

I slept right through it.; 12/22/11, 7:55 PM
mariner said...: Moose,
Solstice celebrations are like Kwanzaa for white people.

SWPL; 12/22/11, 7:57 PM
Karl said...: @circadianreflections - very cool, thanks for sharing.

A couple years ago I was sitting at a church service that included (featured) the sun streaming in through a eastern facing window. The sun was highlighting people beginning on the right side & moving toward the left as time went by. Sitting on the left side, I noticed that once the sun hit their faces, people moved out of its path.

As it happens, the sun eventually landed on my face. What a trip. I just sat there and enjoyed the brief experience.

I guess there were complaints. That window now has some press-on fake stained glass plastic shit covering it.

The Good News for today - we are on the upstroke.; 12/22/11, 11:23 PM