Celebrations and Orbits
Our planet orbits the Sun as it has for the past several billion years. The Earth's axis of revolution is currently tilted from its orbital plane by about 24 degrees from perpendicular. This causes the seasons, and also the drift throughout the year in the height above the horizon of the Sun's arc across the sky as it appears to move from sunrise to sunset. The winter solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere when this arc is at its lowest, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year, and usually occurs on December 21st or 22nd. For the next 6 months, this arc will rise.
Earth’s orbit is an ellipse with the closest point to the Sun, perihelion, occurring sometime between January 2nd to the 5th. It is winter because the axial tilt of the northern hemisphere away from the Sun more than compensates for the approximately 6% more solar influx than at aphelion, the farthest point. Note, though, that it is summer in the southern hemisphere at perihelion.
Life on Earth adapted to the seasons. Modern humans appeared several hundred thousand years ago after many millions of years of evolution, and became attuned to the seasonal changes of daylight length and warm/cold cycles. Knowing that the cold darker times would be followed by warm lighter times was a reason for celebration.
In the 2nd or 3rd century, Romans celebrated Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, a festival honoring the Sun god, Sol Invictus, on December 25th. Scholars disagree that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with this celebration, or that this god replaced the older Latin Sun god, Sol. Regardless of what it is called, the Sun is hard to ignore, and without it, Earth would be lifeless.
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the god Saturn, and was held from December 17th to the 23rd of the Julian calendar. Harvests had been completed, animals raised for food had been slaughtered, and labor requirements would be lower until spring. The later Roman Empire extended this celebration to December 25th. In the 4th century, Saturnalia was adopted by Christianity with hopes of converting celebrating pagans. Eventually, Christian leaders declared December 25th to be the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, even though the Bible gives no reference to the date of his birth, or directives to celebrate it.
Even though it is now January, corporations are, no doubt, preparing for the Christmas 2014 spending orgy and devising ways to get you to part with ever more of your money. So however you decide to celebrate the relentlessly approaching holidays, I wish you an early Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Spending Orgy, Grand Saturnalia, a Best Solis Invicti, Happy New Year, All Hail Sol, and Have a Great Perihelion.
Earth’s orbit is an ellipse with the closest point to the Sun, perihelion, occurring sometime between January 2nd to the 5th. It is winter because the axial tilt of the northern hemisphere away from the Sun more than compensates for the approximately 6% more solar influx than at aphelion, the farthest point. Note, though, that it is summer in the southern hemisphere at perihelion.
Life on Earth adapted to the seasons. Modern humans appeared several hundred thousand years ago after many millions of years of evolution, and became attuned to the seasonal changes of daylight length and warm/cold cycles. Knowing that the cold darker times would be followed by warm lighter times was a reason for celebration.
In the 2nd or 3rd century, Romans celebrated Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, a festival honoring the Sun god, Sol Invictus, on December 25th. Scholars disagree that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with this celebration, or that this god replaced the older Latin Sun god, Sol. Regardless of what it is called, the Sun is hard to ignore, and without it, Earth would be lifeless.
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the god Saturn, and was held from December 17th to the 23rd of the Julian calendar. Harvests had been completed, animals raised for food had been slaughtered, and labor requirements would be lower until spring. The later Roman Empire extended this celebration to December 25th. In the 4th century, Saturnalia was adopted by Christianity with hopes of converting celebrating pagans. Eventually, Christian leaders declared December 25th to be the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, even though the Bible gives no reference to the date of his birth, or directives to celebrate it.
Even though it is now January, corporations are, no doubt, preparing for the Christmas 2014 spending orgy and devising ways to get you to part with ever more of your money. So however you decide to celebrate the relentlessly approaching holidays, I wish you an early Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Spending Orgy, Grand Saturnalia, a Best Solis Invicti, Happy New Year, All Hail Sol, and Have a Great Perihelion.
JLF
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