Donate to Remove ads

Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators

Thanks to johnstevens77,Bhoddhisatva,scotia,Anonymous,Cornytiv34, for Donating to support the site

Shortest Day

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
bungeejumper
Lemon Half
Posts: 8064
Joined: November 8th, 2016, 2:30 pm
Has thanked: 2846 times
Been thanked: 3939 times

Re: Shortest Day

#468331

Postby bungeejumper » December 24th, 2021, 9:02 am

Mike4 wrote:Actually in BJ's link to the English Heritage live stream of the sunrise, I imagined we were going to see some sort of Druid ceremony worshipping the Winter Solstice sunrise oe something deep and meaningful.

But no, just a couple of hundred people randomly milling about, and kids playing!

You're right, that wouldn't have been what the druids (or whatever they were) would have wanted at all. Bang on your drum, drink yourself senseless, grab the magic mushrooms, slaughter a dozen cows, light a fire to cook them on, and have an orgy. Now that's what they'd have called a religious festival. ;)

"Nice party, Ogg, sorry about the virgins. Same time next year?"

BJ

AsleepInYorkshire
Lemon Half
Posts: 7383
Joined: February 7th, 2017, 9:36 pm
Has thanked: 10514 times
Been thanked: 4659 times

Re: Shortest Day

#469671

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » January 2nd, 2022, 10:50 am

Seems particularly light in the mornings here.

Must be something to do with getting up at 10am :lol:

Next stop British Summertime :)

AiY(D)

pje16
Lemon Half
Posts: 6050
Joined: May 30th, 2021, 6:01 pm
Has thanked: 1843 times
Been thanked: 2066 times

Re: Shortest Day

#469678

Postby pje16 » January 2nd, 2022, 11:17 am

I'm sure we must have someone here from Inverness so please forgive me
I was on a business trip there several years ago at the end of June
and being a Londoner was amazed that at gone 11pm, the sky was just a dark blue, it didn't get what I know as properly dark

servodude
Lemon Half
Posts: 8271
Joined: November 8th, 2016, 5:56 am
Has thanked: 4435 times
Been thanked: 3564 times

Re: Shortest Day

#469679

Postby servodude » January 2nd, 2022, 11:20 am

pje16 wrote:I'm sure we must have someone here from Inverness so please forgive me
I was on a business trip there several years ago at the end of June
and being a Londoner was amazed that at gone 11pm, the sky was just a dark blue, it didn't get what I know as properly dark


Don't worry.. anyone in Inverness this time of year will be making the most of the 3hrs of sun at the moment ;)

bungeejumper
Lemon Half
Posts: 8064
Joined: November 8th, 2016, 2:30 pm
Has thanked: 2846 times
Been thanked: 3939 times

Re: Shortest Day

#469736

Postby bungeejumper » January 2nd, 2022, 4:32 pm

One of the stranger requests I've had in my freelance career was to establish the exact time of the moon rise on the shortest day of the year, at a particular location in southern England. My client was a senior captain of industry, and he was planning some kind of a celebratory theatrical happening for a party that he was throwing. (No, I don't know how many naked virgins were involved. Not many, at a guess. Too damn cold. ;) )

It took me only a few moments to track down the answer. (The Royal Observatory has that kind of stuff on tap.) But he was disappointed by the result.

"What do you mean, 2.21 pm," he said to me? "That's in the daylight hours, isn't it?" Yes, I confirmed that it was.

"That's impossible," he said. "You can't possibly have both the sun and the moon in the sky at the same time. Everyone knows the moon only rises after dark."

This was from one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the country, who employed tens of thousands of people, and who had never lifted his eyes to the heavens to take a look at what was up there. :D

BJ

moorfield
Lemon Quarter
Posts: 3523
Joined: November 7th, 2016, 1:56 pm
Has thanked: 1546 times
Been thanked: 1402 times

Re: Shortest Day

#469772

Postby moorfield » January 2nd, 2022, 7:35 pm

It wasn't Sir Alec Guinness by any chance was it ?

"That's no moon..."



Ahem. I'll get my robe ...


Return to “The Natural World”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests