Our Kate Is Always Sunshine
The winter solstice, I explain to Eitan and Madeleine, occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'; this occurs on the shortest day and longest night, when the sun's daily max position in the sky is the lowest. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. This year, ye perfectionists, the winter solstice occurred on December 21, at 23:38 UTC. This is 11:38 pm Western European Time or 6:38 pm Eastern Standard Time. Bada bing.
Eitan, reading from a joke book: "What do you call a polar bear in the desert?"
Me: "What?"
Eitan: "Lost."
Madeleine: "That is horrible."
Eitan: "Why did the loo paper roll down the hill?"
Me:
Eitan: "To get to the bottom."
Me:
Eitan: "Ha ha ha! Get it?"
Me: "Man is it dark. What do we call the darkest day of the year?"
Eitan: "The darkest day of the year?"
Me:
Eitan: "The day it's really dark?"
Madeleine: "The blackest day?"
Eitan: "The day of blackness?"
Madeleine: "The day with less sun?"
Eitan: "The day with no light?"
Me: "How about the winter solstice?"
Eitan: "Oh, yeah - that one."
