Our 1951 Super C’s first winter after restoration. Tim Garlock, New York. Tractor Photo Contest Winner
We hope you enjoy these fun Winter facts!
While many focus on the winter solstice as a day in the calendar it is actually a very specific moment which is over almost as soon as it has begun. The solstice marks the point at which the sun is exactly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn, which this year will happen on Thursday December 21st, at 10:27 pm EST.
You’re probably aware that the day of the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, but did you know that it is almost nine hours shorter than the longest day of the year?
The summer solstice in June is just short of 16 hours and 38 minutes long, while on the day of the winter solstice the length of the day is a mere 7 hours and 50 minutes.
When does Winter begin?
There are two different dates when winter could be said to begin, depending on whether we are referring to the astronomical or meteorological winter.
Astronomical winter is defined by the earth’s orbit around the sun and begins on the winter solstice, which falls on December 21st or 22nd.
Meteorological winter begins on December 1st. This is a fixed date to keep a consistent start and end date of record keeping for comparison of climate data.
When is the earth closest to the sun?
You might be surprised to know that in the northern hemisphere the earth is closest to the Sun during winter.
Around January 3rd, the earth reaches perihelion and the earth is 3.1 million miles closer to the sun than at aphelion around July 5th when the earth is furthest from the sun.
Earth’s distance from the sun is not what causes the seasons but it does affect the length of them. Around perihelion, the Earth is moving around 0.621371 miles per second faster than at aphelion which results in winter being 5 days shorter than summer.
Why does some snow stick together and some does not?
It is all about the snowflake’s journey on its way down to us.
Snowflakes that form wet snow will have fallen through temperatures slightly warmer than 32 °F. As they fall, the snowflakes melt slightly around the edges and stick together to form large, heavy flakes. These stick together easily and are the best for a snowball fight and making snowmen.
Snowflakes that fall through a dry, cool atmosphere will be small and powdery and won’t stick together. We call this dry snow – it’s ideal for skiing, but not for snowball fights or building a snowman.
Can reindeer see in the dark?
Some reindeer living above the Arctic Circle live in complete darkness for several weeks of the year. To adapt to this, a small area of tissue behind the retina changes color from a gold color in summer to blue in winter. This allows the reindeer’s eyes to detect ultraviolet light and see in the dark.