New Delhi: Today i.e. 21st December is the shortest day of the year. This day changes every year. Last year, this day was on 22 December. This shortest day of the year is called Winter Solstice. Know, what is the science behind this and what changes before and after this day.
First, let’s understand what Solstice is. It is a Latin word, which means the setting of the sun. The earth rotates on its axis and changes direction towards the sun. In this case, the part of the earth that comes in contact with the sun is added to the word solstice.
Today is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that on this day the sun will remain in this part of the earth for the shortest time. At the same time, the sun will remain for the longest time in the southern hemisphere, and in this way, the countries coming to this part will see the biggest day today. Like, summer is starting in Argentina, Australia and South Africa from today.
Where the sunlight comes for a short time, the day is short, while the day is bigger with more light.
It makes sense that today is seen in two different ways in the two parts of the world, the shortest and the longest. The reason for the day being small or big is the position of the earth. Our planet, like all other planets, is tilted at about 23.5 degrees on its axis. In this way, due to bending on its axis, it happens that the rays of the sun fall more in one place and less in another. Where the sunlight comes for a short time, the day is short, while the day is bigger with more light.
Why the earth is bent at a particular angle on its axis, this question also often comes up. Scientists do not have any specific information about this at the moment, nor do they know much about what would have happened if this had not happened. According to a CNN report, scientists believe that when the solar system was taking shape, the earth got hit strongly by a body and then the earth became oblique on its axis.
Now let’s talk about the Northern Hemisphere, so it is inclined towards the sun for 6 months of the year. Due to this, a lot of sunlight comes during this time and it remains hot during these months. At the same time, this area gets away from the sun in the remaining 6 months, since then the days start getting shorter. Today is also the shortest day of the year in the country, but this time will be of different length in all cities or states. For example, a day in a city may be longer than any other city, but overall the day is going to be shorter than the rest of the days.
If we understand in our language, on this day, the Sun enters from Uttarayan towards Dakshinayan, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. From this day the cold starts increasing. That is, let us assume that the North India is still to be cracked in the cold. From this day, there will be cold and snowfall.
On the other hand, like summer solstice, there is also summer solstice, that is, the longest day of the year. This day is the smallest night. This day falls on any day between 20 and 23 June. There is also another time, in which both day and night become equal. This time does not fall for a day or two but falls between 21 March to 23 September, when the sun and moon come in the sky for almost equal time.
In olden times, people used to decide many things based on this day and festivals were also celebrated in this way. Spiritually, this day is a day of reception of new things. In Wales language, this day is called “Alban Arthan” ie winter light. This day is celebrated as a big festival in this part of Britain. It is believed that these days and associated festivals are among the oldest festivals in human history.
There is a culture to celebrate this day in Rome too. It is called Saturnalia. That is, the day of Saturn, which is considered the god of crops in Rome. Its celebrations start from December 17 and last for the next seven days.
