Our BetterMost Community > The Holiday Forum
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
Front-Ranger:
For a city guy, you are remarkably in touch with nature. Nice!
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on September 27, 2021, 02:36:36 pm ---For a city guy, you are remarkably in touch with nature. Nice!
--- End quote ---
Well, I grew up in a small city/large small town, but I can't really say why the movement of the sun and the appearance of the constellations interest me. I have no idea where I picked up the observation that Orion is a "winter constellation" here. My observation of the sun's movement is only possible because I live up so high and formerly had a completed view from the southeast all the way around to the southwest. The view to the southwest is now obstructed by a new high rise. If I hadn't had a southern exposure I would never have noticed this.
I wanted to take an astronomy course in college, but it was offered only every other year, and I couldn't fit it into my schedule. :( You could see Ursa Major from the backyard of the house where I grew up, and I could swear that once when I was a child it was so cold for a brief time one winter that the Aurora Borealis was briefly visible. I could be mistaken in my childhood memory, but I do remember standing in the backyard, and it was very cold, and there was a lot of snow on the ground, and I could see something in the northern sky.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on September 27, 2021, 03:35:10 pm ---
I could swear that once when I was a child it was so cold for a brief time one winter that the Aurora Borealis was briefly visible. I could be mistaken in my childhood memory, but I do remember standing in the backyard, and it was very cold, and there was a lot of snow on the ground, and I could see something in the northern sky.
--- End quote ---
That's weird, I've seen northern lights any number of times. Of course, MN is north of PA, but it doesn't have to be cold to see them here. Living in a major metropolitan area I don't see them often anymore because of light pollution. But I remember once going on a work retreat in the 1980s -- we went to a resort in northern MN and the whole sky, literally, was like a shifting colorful curtain. The best northern lights I'd ever seen. It was cool enough for us, the coworkers on the retreat, but there was also a wedding going on at this northern MN resort and I thought how cool would that be to have that on your wedding night. They had a guitarist and a campfire outside.
Jeff Wrangler:
I think it would be very cool to be able to see the Northern Lights on a regular basis. The same with constellations like the Big Dipper and Orion.
I only see them now when I watch Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. ;D
When I was a kid, in the winter, you could stand on the front steps of our house, and Orion was directly over the house across the street.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on September 28, 2021, 11:23:32 am ---I think it would be very cool to be able to see the Northern Lights on a regular basis. The same with constellations like the Big Dipper and Orion.
I only see them now when I watch Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. ;D
When I was a kid, in the winter, you could stand on the front steps of our house, and Orion was directly over the house across the street.
--- End quote ---
The Big Dipper can be seen year round here in middle Europe. In German it's called "Der gro?e Wagen" = Big waggon. It's the only constellation I know and can point out easily. Orion could shine directly into my sleeping room window and I wouldn't know it. ::)
--- Quote ---That's weird, I've seen northern lights any number of times. Of course, MN is north of PA, but it doesn't have to be cold to see them here.
--- End quote ---
Northern Lights visible in MN? I just checked: even though MN is way colder than my area (thank you gulf stream), I am North of you. MN is roundabout 46?N while I am 49?N.
Northern Lights are never-ever visible here, and I think not even in Stockholm, which is 1000km north of me.
Ooops, I've just checked on Wikipedia. Northern Lights can be visible in middle and even southern Europe when the sun's cycle is on maximum eruption, which is roughly every ten years or such.
Nobody i know has ever seen them down here. Hubby and I took a trip on the Norwegian Hurtigruten Ship and we went in February just to see them. And we did! Was totally worth it! :)
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version