Oh, piss off. I know perfectly well that that is the case. Myers is an American, and I was addressing the comment to him. But if it will make you happy, let's just say that it is the incorrect image for the upcoming solstice. Happy now?
Actually, that image represents two Martian death beams ridding the world of Sardinia and Namibia, presumably because the Martian jaw has a difficult time with names that end in -ia.
So, do we need another poster or bumper sticker, depicting alignment for the ... other ... solstice? And do we need to swap them off every six months?
I considered trying to fix it, but simply rotating the image to the proper angle would mess up the shading, so I think it is best left to the original artist to fix.
As for the June solstice, are there places where it is celebrated? Maybe in the southern hemisphere, where it represents the shortest day of the year? In these parts, nobody but us astronomers seem to care, so there's no "reason for the season" - season meaning celebration in this context.
As for the June solstice, are there places where it is celebrated?
Well, duh. Try Finland, Sweden or the Baltic states around Midsummer. Then there's the modern Stonehenge celebrations and a lot of other stuff elsewhere. Isn't the longest day much more fun to celebrate than the shortest, anyway?
But there is not much need for a midsummer solstice sticker due to lack of controversy about the 'reason for the season' at least in Northern Europe. There was that 'birthday of John the Baptist' pretense for a while but it's all but forgotten. Everyone knows the true meaning of Midsummer is to get drunk and perhaps burn some shit... 'Tilt of the axis is the reason for the tilt of the bottle'?
windy said, regarding my question about June solstice celebrations:
Well, duh. Try Finland, Sweden or the Baltic states around Midsummer. Then there's the modern Stonehenge celebrations and a lot of other stuff elsewhere.
Thanks! I wasn't aware that Midsummer was such a big thing in Scandinavia. One more reason to visit someday.
As for Stonehenge, my understanding is that that is a Druid thing, and considered as little more than a curiosity by the general public in Britain. Is that the case? When I asked the question, I was thinking of a general celebration like Christmas or Midsummer.
Isn't the longest day much more fun to celebrate than the shortest, anyway?
I wouldn't say so. First off, as an amateur astronomer, the summer solstice marks the shortest night of the year. That cuts into my observing time, and makes for some very late nights. As a northerner, it marks the end of spring - the climb out of winter darkness and barrenness - and the beginning of the long slide back into winter. For me, the winter solstice has always been way more meaningful and joyful - the days will start getting longer again, and in the meantime, I can observe starting right after supper.
It's not really a 'big thing' - at least not in Denmark. But by the end of June, the holidays have just started for most schoolchildren, so it's a good time to take a quiet day at home, and end it by gathering the local community, building a big fire and listen to some local dignitarian give a speech while the sun goes down.
A quaint custom that hasn't been quite as commercialised as Christmas, Easter or Haloween... My hypothesis is that it's too close to the 4th of july to be marked in the US, leaving the chief driver in the commercialisation of Haloween and Christmas out of the equation. The 4th of July, after all, is not really exportable...
A week ago I received this one as a holiday card from an old friend of mine. My wife and daughter had just been grumping at each other over something when they heard me burst out laughing in the next room. I brought the card in and showed them what it said. My wife started laughing right away (we're both astronomy teachers) and as soon as we explained what "axial" meant my daughter got it too. It brightened up the whole morning for us.
JS wrote: It's not really a 'big thing' - at least not in Denmark.
Yes, I think it's a bit different over there :)
A quaint custom that hasn't been quite as commercialised as Christmas, Easter or Haloween...
I was going to comment on whether a holiday has to be commercialised to be a 'big thing' - but then I realized that actually the sales of alcohol and 'barbequables' go up to astronomical figures here on Midsummer week, so I can't really claim it's not commercialized :)
I much prefer it phrased:
THE AXIAL TILT OF THE EARTH IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
That image represents the summer solstice.
bPer is exposed as a hemispherist!
It's only the summer solstice if you live in the
northern hemisphere . . . .
Oh, piss off. I know perfectly well that that is the case. Myers is an American, and I was addressing the comment to him. But if it will make you happy, let's just say that it is the incorrect image for the upcoming solstice. Happy now?
Actually, that image represents two Martian death beams ridding the world of Sardinia and Namibia, presumably because the Martian jaw has a difficult time with names that end in -ia.
;-)
That's brilliant! I don't know whether to forward that to my Astronomy, Philosophy, or Religion professor....
Who will be this year's Grand Martial of the Precession of the Equinoxes? For some reason I'm thinking elfin.
So, do we need another poster or bumper sticker, depicting alignment for the ... other ... solstice? And do we need to swap them off every six months?
I considered trying to fix it, but simply rotating the image to the proper angle would mess up the shading, so I think it is best left to the original artist to fix.
As for the June solstice, are there places where it is celebrated? Maybe in the southern hemisphere, where it represents the shortest day of the year? In these parts, nobody but us astronomers seem to care, so there's no "reason for the season" - season meaning celebration in this context.
As for the June solstice, are there places where it is celebrated?
Well, duh. Try Finland, Sweden or the Baltic states around Midsummer. Then there's the modern Stonehenge celebrations and a lot of other stuff elsewhere. Isn't the longest day much more fun to celebrate than the shortest, anyway?
But there is not much need for a midsummer solstice sticker due to lack of controversy about the 'reason for the season' at least in Northern Europe. There was that 'birthday of John the Baptist' pretense for a while but it's all but forgotten. Everyone knows the true meaning of Midsummer is to get drunk and perhaps burn some shit... 'Tilt of the axis is the reason for the tilt of the bottle'?
Can someone explain how this is funny?
I mean a good joke is something that is so absurd and so over-exaggerated that one just cracks up.
windy said, regarding my question about June solstice celebrations:
Thanks! I wasn't aware that Midsummer was such a big thing in Scandinavia. One more reason to visit someday.
As for Stonehenge, my understanding is that that is a Druid thing, and considered as little more than a curiosity by the general public in Britain. Is that the case? When I asked the question, I was thinking of a general celebration like Christmas or Midsummer.
I wouldn't say so. First off, as an amateur astronomer, the summer solstice marks the shortest night of the year. That cuts into my observing time, and makes for some very late nights. As a northerner, it marks the end of spring - the climb out of winter darkness and barrenness - and the beginning of the long slide back into winter. For me, the winter solstice has always been way more meaningful and joyful - the days will start getting longer again, and in the meantime, I can observe starting right after supper.
It's not really a 'big thing' - at least not in Denmark. But by the end of June, the holidays have just started for most schoolchildren, so it's a good time to take a quiet day at home, and end it by gathering the local community, building a big fire and listen to some local dignitarian give a speech while the sun goes down.
A quaint custom that hasn't been quite as commercialised as Christmas, Easter or Haloween... My hypothesis is that it's too close to the 4th of july to be marked in the US, leaving the chief driver in the commercialisation of Haloween and Christmas out of the equation. The 4th of July, after all, is not really exportable...
- JS
@lo: It is funny because of the phrase "Christ is the reason for the season."
But where's the turtle?
A week ago I received this one as a holiday card from an old friend of mine. My wife and daughter had just been grumping at each other over something when they heard me burst out laughing in the next room. I brought the card in and showed them what it said. My wife started laughing right away (we're both astronomy teachers) and as soon as we explained what "axial" meant my daughter got it too. It brightened up the whole morning for us.
Now, isn't that what a holiday card should do?
Consider:
Newgrange Megalithic Passage Tomb Ireland, 3000 BCE
Dowth Megalithic Passage Tomb Ireland, 3000 BCE
Maeshowe Orkney Islands, 3000 BCE
Stonehenge England, 3000-2000 BCE
Chichen Itza Yucatan Peninsula, 1000 CE
Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico 1000 CE
All these structures have winter-solstice alignments, suggesting that the structures' builders considered that event very worth marking out.
And notice how celebrations like Xmas, Hanukkah, and Diwali involve lights -- the sort of thing that is in short supply at the Winter Solstice.
And notice how Xmas trees are evergreens -- they do not look like they've died, as deciduous trees do.
JS wrote: It's not really a 'big thing' - at least not in Denmark.
Yes, I think it's a bit different over there :)
A quaint custom that hasn't been quite as commercialised as Christmas, Easter or Haloween...
I was going to comment on whether a holiday has to be commercialised to be a 'big thing' - but then I realized that actually the sales of alcohol and 'barbequables' go up to astronomical figures here on Midsummer week, so I can't really claim it's not commercialized :)
Here's something I came across a while back, linking the Jesus story to ancient sun/zodiac myths (NB there's quite a lot of it):
http://members.cox.net/deleyd/religion/index.htm
The 4th of July, after all, is not really exportable...
So, then, do the other countries skip from the 3rd straight to the 5th? Must be hell on the FedEx estimated arrival dates...