Studying your shadow is particularly interesting, as there is one particular day in December when your shadow is bound to be longer. Every year, in late December, an astronomical event reshapes the sky. On this very day, your shadow tends to be far longer than ever before. The phenomenon is known as the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Although we recognize the Winter Solstice today, ancient civilizations also studied the December sky, creating calendars and marking significant moments around it.
What makes your shadow so long on that day in December?
The theory is based on the assumption that at solar noon, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and your shadow length is determined by the sun’s angle above the horizon. When the sun is lower, the shadow tends to be longer.
Today, the sun reaches its lowest height for all observers located in the Northern Hemisphere. When sunlight beams onto the ground at a shallow angle, long shadows are created. A careful look around at midday of the Winter Solstice will reveal every object with a longer shadow, including trees.
The logic behind why this happens can be attributed to the fact that, in December, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted further away from the sun, and since less sunlight reaches the surface, the days tend to be shorter, but shadows tend to be longer. It all depends on the Earth’s axial tilt.
More about the science behind the moment when the sun pauses
The Winter Solstice is a mere moment when the sun reaches the southernmost position in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in far shorter days and much longer shadows. While we refer to this as the Winter Solstice, even the word Solstice has a meaning that contributes to the event. “Solstice” is a Latin word meaning that the sun is standing still. In ancient times, they viewed this moment as the sun slightly pausing before reversing direction.
The reason the pause before the reversal of direction became well-known was due to the fact that after the Solstice, the days started to get longer. Also, with the sun moving higher into the sky, the shadow lengths become shorter too. After the Solstice, the return of the light made the moment one of significant cultural importance to many people.
Civilizations from ancient times and how they viewed the occurrence
While sophisticated telescopes have come to the fore, ancient civilizations carefully observed the movements of the sun. Tracking the sun was essential for those people who were part of the agricultural sector. The Mayans incorporated the solar cycles into their calendars, while the ancient Egyptians planned festivals and festivities according to the seasonal patterns of the sun.
For such communities, the Solstice was a mere turning point in the year where the people moved away from darkness and into the light. As such, the older civilizations relied on seasonal moments of the sun to enjoy festivals, and to date, some of the festivals are conducted in line with the Winter Solstice. With the sun’s position in the sky changing, 21st December will be a day to remember.
The global event that has more than one meaning for most
While the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing winter at the time, the Southern Hemisphere is enjoying the Summer Solstice. For people in the Southern Hemisphere, days are bound to be longer and shadows relatively short. As exciting as this contrast may seem, people in the Northern Hemisphere can be delighted by the fact that the longest shadow signifies Earth’s movement through space. This moment continues to carry significance for us and for the ancient civilizations. While we enjoy what remains of winter, we can perhaps say goodbye to Christmas’ hot chocolate and settle for winter’s tea-time secret bomb, which is full of flavonoids.