Subj : ES Picture of the Day 28  2022
To   : All
From : Dan Richter
Date : Mon Mar 28 2022 12:00:44

 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 Panoramic View of Etna and the Winter Solstice

   March 28, 2022

    Etna21122021-solstizioinvernale(1)

   Photographer:  Rosario Catania

   Summary Author:  Rosario Catania

   Long ago, ancient civilizations observed the  path of the Sun
   through the sky varied depending on the time of year. Instead of
   remaining uniform across the year, the Sun’s  daily solar angle for
   a given location on the Earth correlates with the  seasons. This
   solar trend occurs annually while the  Sun’s angle above the horizon
   gradually increases throughout the spring before reaching its maximum
   point in summer when its ascent appears to stop. The reverse trend is
   true as the Sun’s path decreases throughout autumn before reaching an
   annual minimum daily angle in winter when its decent again appears to
   stop.

   This stopping in Latin is called "sol sister" meaning "stopping of the
   sun", hence the name  solstice. Over the course of the year, this
   difference in daily solar angle horizon also affects the length of the
   day, which results in shorter days and longer nights in winter and vice
   versa in summer. Therefore, the day of the  winter solstice will
   correspond to the minimum duration of the day and the maximum duration
   of the night. The solstice occurs at a very precise moment and in 2021
   that moment was December 21^st at 4:59 PM local time, with a day length
   of 9 hours and 35 minutes. At 8:58 AM on December 21, the panoramic
   image shown above was taken with a 180° view. The photo shows the view
   from  Nicolosi, featuring the snow-capped volcano  Etna with the
   Sun to the east (to the right of the image), and the Moon just below
   the horizon to the west, in a diametrically opposite position. Solstice
   day is an opportunity to shoot both celestial bodies in the sky, either
   with a panoramic photo or with a fisheye lens.
     * Nicolosi, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.617, 15.024

Related EPODs

    Panoramic View of Etna and the Winter Solstice  Solar Eclipse
   From the Air Over the South Atlantic Ocean  Clouds In a Fiery Sunset
    Analemma Observed in Taipei, Taiwan  Dusty Sunset Over Sicily
    Omega Sunrise Over Catania, Italy
    More...

Sun Links

     *  NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory
     *  NASA Solar Eclipse Page
     *  NOAA Solar Calculator
     *  The Sun-Earth Connection: Heliophysics
     *  The Sunspot Cycle
     *  Solar System Exploration: The Sun
     *  The Sun Now
     *  This Week’s Sky

-
   Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the  Universities
   Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu
 
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