Advent Calendar 2012 - Winter Solstice

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It's the Winter Solstice today!! Time to cozy in - build a fire, light some candles, watch a holiday movie, and just 'chill'!

Some interesting facts:
It's the winter solstice up here in the Northern Hemisphere.
It's the summer solstice down in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why? Because they have summer down there and it's winter up here above the the equator.

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The Sun at noon is at the lowest altitude above the horizon - 23.5 degrees.
That means the North Pole is 23.5 degrees from the sun.

The area above the Artic Polar Circle is in complete darkness.
The area below the Antarctic Polar Circle has 24 hours of daylight.

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The solstices were first heralded by people in the northern Hemisphere.
Stonehenge is aligned with both the winter and summer solstices.
It has been used to mark this passing of time for more than 70,000 years.


It is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

How are you spending your day?