Re: Being careful with directions

[Rondo Jeffery <RJEFFERY@WEBER.EDU>]

Leigh's question of the day:

> > > Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA> 09/22/99 10:28AM >>>
> We can be quite smug in realizing that
> our autumn and winter will be shorter than spring and summer
> by a significant amount.
>
> Anyone want to guess by how much? Has this fact ever been
> pointed out to you before?

> Leigh

Leigh,
   In my astronomy classes I always tell the students that the time from Vernal Equinox to Autumn Equinox is 5 days longer than from AE to VE.  That is of course because of the elliptical orbit, and we travel fastest when we are closest to the sun, which is during northern hemisphere winter (around Jan. 2, I believe it is).  That makes summers longer than winters, even though it may not seem that way when it gets really cold in the winter.
   Is that the answer you were looking for, Leigh?  5 days.  It can vary slightly due to the equinoxes falling early or late in a day.
Rondo Jeffery
Weber State University
Ogden, UT 84408-2508
rjeffery@weber.edu