The 2013 Winter Solstice is Here

The Winter Solstice 2013 Is An Event of Epic Proportions

The winter solstice is upon us. It may be the darkest day of the year for Earth’s northern hemisphere when it comes to sunlight, but nonetheless, it also marks the beginning of winter and an increase in the amount of sunlight we receive every day until the summer solstice.

If you think about it, the winter solstice is so much more than just the darkest day of the year; it is a grand event involving celestial bodies that are so big and massive that it can at times be hard for us to comprehend. After all, how can you even begin to explain an object the size of our sun which can fit approximately 1.3 million earths inside of it, and has a mass that accounts for more than 99 percent of the total mass in our solar system?

Below are some interesting facts and such about the winter solstice that you may, or may not know. Check them out:

Winter Solstice Facts (Calgary, Alberta) December 21st, 2013

• The winter solstice occurs because as the Earth rotates around the sun, it also rotates on its own axis which is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its plane of rotation. At this point in time the northern hemisphere is the furthest away from the sun and receives less direct sunlight. This creates winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.

• The name solstice was derived from two Latin words – sol (meaning sun) and sistere (meaning stand still)

• The northern hemisphere gets closer to the sun by a few kilometres every day until the summer solstice

• Marks the shortest day and longest night of the year

• The sun rises to its lowest point throughout the entire year

• Sunrise at 8:37 AM, Sunset at 4:32 PM

• 7 hours, 54 minutes and 17 seconds of day

• At 10:11 AM (MT) on December 21st, the northern hemisphere begins titling back towards our sun

Are you preparing for winter? Be sure to check out these 12 Calgary winter essentials.

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