10/12/2018 Equinoxes and Solstices

Equinoxes and Solstices

Every day the Sun lies in front of a slightly different location on the celestial sphere due to the Earth's
orbital motion.

In the course of a year the changing position of the Sun among the stars traces out a complete
circle around the celestial sphere.

This circular path is called the ecliptic and represents the apparent path followed by the Sun
around the celestial sphere as the Earth orbits the Sun.

The 12 constellations located along the Ecliptic are called the Zodiac. The Sun passes through
about one constellation per month.

On your birthday, the Sun is in line with your "birthsign" constellation, making it
impossible to see!

Since the Earth's rotation axis is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane the ecliptic is a circle
around the sky tipped 23.5 degrees relative to the celestial equator.

Since the celestial equator is a fixed line on the sky for any particular observer on Earth, the tilt
of the ecliptic causes the Sun's altitude at Noon to vary throughout the year.

There are two points on the Ecliptic where the Sun lies as far as possible from the Celestial
Equator (23.5 degrees away).

At the Summer Solstice the Sun is 23.5 degrees North of the

Celestial Equator -- high in the sky at noon. It shines almost
directly down on North America and heats the ground effectively.
The image at right shows the Earth as seen from the Sun on the
Summer Solstice.

At the Winter Solstice the Sun is 23.5

degrees South of the Celestial Equator --
low in the sky at noon. For North America
it shines obliquely across the ground and
does a poor job of warming the ground --
movies.

Note that the seasons are reversed in the

Southern Hemisphere. When it is winter in
North America it is summer in South America.

Note also that, although the Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical,the Earth is closest to the Sun
in January and farthest in July. The Earth's slightly varying distance from the Sun has
little to do with the Seasons.

The ecliptic crosses the celestial equator at two points called the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes.

At these points the Sun lies on the Celestial Equator and, as a result, the length of day and night
are nearly equal -- thus the name Equinox.

Why so? Any object, in this case the Sun, located on the celestial equator will be above
the horizon exactly 1/2 of the day.

This is because exactly 1/2 of the circle of the celestial equator lies above the horizon (no
matter where you are on Earth with the exception of the poles where it lies on the
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10/12/2018 Equinoxes and Solstices

horizon).

An object "below" the celestial equator (e.g. the Sun in Winter) is "up" for less than
1/2 a day.
An object "above" the celestial equator (e.g. the Sun in Summer) is "up" for more
than 1/2 a day.
Days are short in the Winter and Long in the Summer.

When the Sun lies on these crossing points it marks the first day of either Spring or
Autumn.

Notes

Updated February 3, 2010

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