POW # 5 The Solstice and Equinox - Weebly

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POW # 5 ? The Solstice and Equinox

The year can be divided into periods in many different ways. There are various calendar systems, some created by ancient civilizations and some by modern mathematicians. The year can also be divided by natural phenomenon, such as solstice and equinox. These astronomic events split the year into four quarters, and mark the beginning of each season.

The word "equinox" comes from the Latin for "equal night". The equinoxes in March and September are the two occasions each year when the day and the night are of equal duration. For measuring the length of a day, sunrise is the moment when the sun is half-above the horizon and sunset is the moment when the sun is half-under the horizon.

Using this definition, the length of the day (and the night) is precisely 12 hours at an equinox. Why does the Sun move up and down every day? Because the Earth turns on its axis. Why does the Sun get higher in the summer and lower in the winter? Because the Earth goes around the Sun, and the Earth is tilted. So, more accurately, the equinox is when a line from the Sun to the center of the Earth goes through the equator.

In the northern hemisphere, the March equinox is known as the vernal (spring) equinox and the September equinox is the autumnal (autumn) equinox. In the northern hemisphere, or half of the globe, the summer solstice is the part of the year when the sun reaches the northernmost point in the sky. The summer solstice usually occurs on June 21, but the exact time is never the same. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and it marks the first day of the summer season. From this moment, the sunrise comes a few minutes later every day, and the sunset comes earlier. The daytime gradually shortens until the winter solstice on December 21, when the winter season begins.

Between the summer and winter solstices, there is the autumnal equinox on September 23, when the day is as long as the night, and the sun is directly

above the equator. Six months later, during the vernal equinox, the sun again crosses the equator, on its way from southernmost point. The vernal equinox is on March 20 or 21, and it is the first day of spring.

On this day, the Sun will begin to rise at the South Pole after six months of darkness. It's going to be daytime there for the next six months! And yes, there are scientists who are living and working down there now! They have a party to celebrate. Wouldn't you if it were eighty below zero outside and the Sun was just coming up? What would it be like living in a place where day and night each last six months?

The equinoxes have a rich place in mythology and ancient traditions. Ancients believed the gods guided the Sun across the sky, and so they paid attention to the way that it moved. Of course, we now know that what's really moving is us. They used a variety of tools to watch that motion.

In ancient times, many cultures venerated, or greatly respected, the sun as a supernatural creature, a god or a goddess. In Rome, the summer solstice was celebrated with festivals. In Scandinavia, a midsummer tree was decorated in every village, and the citizens danced around it.

In Native American tribes, nobody was allowed to gather the corn until the end of feasts. These celebrations were connected to the earth, and to the positive elements of nature, such as rain and fertility. Nowadays, many people still celebrate solstice with various traditions. They may pick flowers and put them in a river to predict their future, or they may light bonfires, and dance and sing through the night.

The Mayans aligned their ceremonial buildings carefully with the compass directions. At the famous pyramid at Chich?n Itza in Yucatan, something special happens on the equinoxes. The pyramid was built so that as the Sun rises and sets, the stairway on the north side is lit up at a steep

angle, making the rim of the stairs look like a snake that is sliding up and down the pyramid.

There is a superstition that it is possible to stand an egg upright on its end on the date of the equinoxes (and/or solstices). While this is true, it is also possible to stand an egg on its end at any other time of the year. Although this feat is not trivial, a persistent person can usually succeed with enough practice and skill.

However, the only connection between success in standing eggs upright and the equinox is that because of the superstition, many more people try and persist than would be the case on any other date. Of course, cheating by resting the egg on a thin layer of salt grains and then blowing all but a few invisible grains away is still far and away the easiest method!

1. The summer solstice is ____. A. the longest day of the year B. the shortest day of summer C. the last day of summer season D. shortest day of the year

2. The summer solstice occurs ___. A. at the same time every year B. on June 21, at different times C. on June 20 or 21 at noon D. whenever there is a full moon

3. The autumn begins at ____. A. the vernal equinox B. the winter solstice C. the autumnal equinox D. the summer solstice

4. In this passage, the word venerated means A. show deep respect for B. show deep animosity for C. shows supernatural properties D. shows celebration

5. Where was a midsummer tree decorated? A. in Rome. B. in Scandinavia C. in the USA D. in Mexico

6. The word "equinox" comes from the Latin word for _____.

A. equal daylight B. equal knocks C. equal night D. equal noxious fumes

7. Nowadays, the solstice ___. A. is not celebrated B. is celebrated by tradition only in Scandinavia C. is celebrated in many different ways D. is a tax-free holiday

8. In Native American tribes, people ____. A. did not harvest corn during the feast B. had to eat only corn C. did not grow corn D. did not harvest corn until the feast started

9. For measuring the length of the day, _____. A. sunrise is the moment when the sun is half

above the horizon B. sunrise is the moment when the sun is totally

above the horizon A. sunrise is the moment when the sun just starts to

be seen above the horizon D. sunrise is the moment when the sun is directly

over head

10. The sun moves up and down every day because ____.

A. the Earth does not rotate on its axis. B. the Earth rotates on its axis C. the Earth revolves around the sun D. the Earth rotates around the sun

11. After the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, _____.

A. neither sunrise nor sunset vary the time they occur each day

B. sunrise comes later and sunset comes earlier each day

C. sunrise comes earlier and sunset comes later each day

D. both sunrise and sunset comes earlier each day

12. On what day does the sun begin to rise at the South Pole ?

A. Summer solstice B. Winter solstice C. Vernal equinox D. Autumnal equinox

13. What appears on the stairs of the Mayan Pyramid at Chichen Itza as the sun sets and rises ?

A. a charging bull B. a skeleton C. a snake D. nothing appears at all

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