December 21, 2021

Winter Solstice on the 21st in 2021

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photo collage by Styrous®
 
 
Today is the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice, which marks the beginning of the astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, is today. I have always felt this day is actually the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year.   
 
The solstice occurs at the same instant everywhere on Earth. The Earth's tilted axis causes the seasons. The winter solstice, which marks the beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the precise moment at which the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun.    

Meteorologists use a different method of defining the first day of winter. And, in some countries, the beginning of the seasons is determined by average temperatures rather than fixed dates or astronomical events.            

Rogers and Hart wrote a love song about this day entitled, The Shortest Day of the Year, from the musical, The Boys from Syracuse which was based on the William Shakespeare play, The Comedy of Errors (link below).        



        
There is a two hour video on YouTube of the Solstice as it's happening at Newgrange, a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Drogheda on the north side of the River Boyne. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids (link below).       
        
        
        
Viewfinder links:        
        
Memories of Solstice         
Rogers and Hart           
William Shakespeare         
         
Net links:        
        
Almanac ~ Winter Solstice 2021        
Britannica ~ Winter Solstice        
USA Today ~ The shortest day of the year is Tuesday        
        
Youtube links:         
        
Newgrange monument ~ Winter Solstice - Monday 21 December 2021 (documentary) (48 mins., 29 secs.)
Newgrange monument ~ Winter Solstice - Monday 21 December 2021 (2 hrs., 2 mins.)
Rogers & Hart ~ The Shortest Day of the Year        
        
        
         
        
        
        
        
         
        
         
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, December 21, 2021       
      















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