Comments on: Don’t you just hate perihelion?

By: Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:09:14 +0000

zemig types:

[[Shouldnt perihelion coincide with winter solstice?]]

Why? The length of day as opposed to night does depend on where Earth is in its orbit (and the obliquity of the equator), but I don’t think that cycle is tied to perihelion/aphelion in any way. Is it? Dr. Plait?

By: zemig

zemig — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:48:13 +0000

Shouldnt perihelion coincide with winter solstice?

By: Troy

Troy — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:47:44 +0000

I think the most conspicuous aspect of perihelion is that you get later sunsets.

By: Dídac López

Dídac López — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:40:31 +0000

You have an explanation about that anomalistic precession:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomalistic_precession#Anomalistic_precession

This phenomenon is independent from solstice/equinox precession. However, it plays a minor role in “Milankovic cycles” (the oscillations between ice ages and inter-glacial ages in a “Icehouse Earth”…).

Anyway, Happy Anomalistic Year to Everybody.

By: Doc

Doc — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:35:29 +0000

My favorite Arthur quote is still:

“Don’t you wish you were me? I know I do.”

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:38:06 +0000

Joshua: I’ll alert the media. You are correct.

It’s not the first time I’ve quoted “Arthur”, either. It’s a fantastically funny movie.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:25:17 +0000

Wow, this morning I opened up a new carton of eggs, and to my utter amazement, all 12 eggs were standing on end!!!!

What could this mean? What could this possibly mean???

By: Joshua

Joshua — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:45:29 +0000

“Don’t you just hate Perry’s wife?”

C’mon, didn’t anybody see Arthur?

By: Rick

Rick — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:00:13 +0000

i thought it was homer saying “don’t you just hate pants?” in a simpsons episode.

By: cope

cope — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:29:28 +0000

“Don’t you just hate…Illinois Nazis?” from “Blues Brothers would be my guess.

Should I be correct, please send my large container of nothing to nobody@nothing.nowhere.

Thanks.

By: Redx

Redx — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:00:34 +0000

but… eggs will stand on end. Most people try it on the equinox, but eggs will still stand on end.

By: Jack Hagerty

Jack Hagerty — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:33:02 +0000

Gavin Flower says: “In the Southern Hemisphere we may be closer to the Sun, but we are moving faster in this part the Earth’s orbit… does that make our Summer shorter???”

In a word, yes. The southern hemisphere gets the worst of both worlds; the summers are shorter and hotter while the winters are colder and longer. But as Phil has explained elsewhere, the temperature has more to do with the ocean/land ratio than the distance to the sun.

- Jack

By: Gavin Flower

Gavin Flower — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:53:20 +0000

In the Southern Hemisphere we may be closer to the Sun, but we are moving faster in this part the Earth’s orbit… does that make our Summer shorter???

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:24:18 +0000

That would be Eastern time

By: Evolving Squid

Evolving Squid — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:23:47 +0000

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Perihelion – Earth is closest to the sun
(19:42:48) Perihelion – Earth is closest to the sun.

From http://telescopes.net/doc/3010

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 04:16:53 +0000

At USNO the time is listed as “00″, or midnight UT. That’s 7:00 Eastern, or 5 Mountain, on January 2.

By: BA Fan

BA Fan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:52:03 +0000

Isn’t today Jan 2? According to US Naval Observatory, Perihelion is Jan 3 at 20 UT (5pm ET). Still time for that last minute shopping.

By: Lugosi

Lugosi — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:16:20 +0000

If we’re so close to the sun, why am I freezing my butt off? Obviously this is some sort of hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.

By: Shoeshine Boy

Shoeshine Boy — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:02:07 +0000

Cool! My birthday is the same day as perihelion.

I r special

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:38:25 +0000

Never mind. I just read the link you posted.

By: gopher65

gopher65 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:30:43 +0000

Yup Michael, at the moment summer is hotter in the southern hemisphere than in the northern. But I think it reverses itself every 7000 years or so because of precession. Or is that every 14000? I don’t remember. Something like that about some dizziemedoodle idea …. or something.

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:21:44 +0000

If we are at the closest point to the Sun in our orbit now, and it is summer south of the equator, does that mean that summer at say 49 degrees South, is hotter than summer at 49 degrees north latitude, when we are further from the sun?

By: bigjohn

bigjohn — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:20:04 +0000

Perihelion!! I predict that the Sun will appear to be as big as the full Moon!

By: Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:11:05 +0000

Happy Anomalistic New Year!