[meteorite-list] AD: closing in a few hours

From: mexicodoug at aim.com <mexicodoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:55:44 -0400
Message-ID: <8CAA12F248E4561-D10-190A_at_webmail-md17.sysops.aol.com>

Dear list,

The Solstices have always had an incredible air of mystique for me, and
this time around has me a bit nostalgic so I'd like to share this
message.

The 2008 Summer Solstice (unless you are down under) will be happening
in a few hours and Summer will officially begin.

The time is almost exactly 11:59PM Universal Time

Time Summer begins at:

Countdown clock:
http://tinyurl.com/48558e

Time at different world locations:
http://tinyurl.com/3sctme

At this time, somewhere, in a seemingly random place, on earth, the
most northern outpost of the Tropics will experience a truly tropical
Sun (and the one day the Southernmost points under an Arctic Sun won't
have a Sunset).

The Northern outpost, or rough limit, also known as the Tropic of
Cancer, is that unique latitude where at only one point in the
circumference of the Earth, on this one day, the Sun will manage to be
directly overhead at only one instant when the solstice coincides with
the Sun at the Zenith at that location. Anywhere further north, and
this never happens (not considering longer term variation in the
Tropic's location from wobble). And further South, it happens all the
time in the tropics more than once.

Interestingly, the zodiac has managed to get screwed up as Earth has
wobbled, and the Tropic of Cancer really is the Tropic of Taurus, since
the Sun is no longer in Cancer, but now in Taurus on this date.

But all that aside, I have always dreamed each year for as long as I
can remember, at least since grade school, of being on the Tropic of
Cancer with an empty round oatmeal container a long stick at this
special moment when no shadows are cast. The idea has always been just
to see this quirk of Earth first hand with the original tools I first
imagined measuring this with, a sort of astronomical pilgrimage that
anyone could do once in a lifetime.

But, the Tropic of Cancer is quite long, close to 37,000 kilometers
long. So the problem has always reduced to finding the one place on
Earth (the longitude for the year) where the Sun will truly be overhead
at 90 degrees - directly at the zenith.

Well, this year, that actually occurs in just west of Hawaiin open
ocean, about 560 kilometers south of Green Island, a tiny atoll island
which has the distinction of being - as a happy coincidence - the
World's most northernmost barrier reef. No, I won't be going this year
:( and being marooned in the open Pacific around there has not been fun
for historical mariners.

But for anyone in the area, it will be 13 kilometers south and 1500 km
due west of the Necker Hawaiian Island, close to the longitude, 179
degrees 20 min. At the miraculous moment shadows will not be elongated
by the most minute bit, and the Sun will be ... HOT! Interesting that
due to somewhat both to leap year and the the very late hour 23:59 UT,
this will be the earliest Summer in over a century (I think), and on
June 20 (well, the Brits made it June 21 with Daylight Savings time,
but DST shouldn't count in the Sun-centered world...so it's not
anyone's fault)

Anyway, these are my not especially practical mullings, but still, the
dream of a lifetime. A 90 degree Sun can be had many times through the
year, for example, in tropical Mexican locations, but not when the Sun
is at the tip of the Analemma, and the way I see it, THE TIMING for
this [and just about everything else] is what's exciting for such a
pilgrimage, TIMING IS EVERYTHING. And the difference from an 89 degree
Sun and 90 would be rather hard to tell, but imo not have this mystical
feeling of ancient astronomers, from the builders of Stonehenge and
great pyramids, to Fatipur Sikri, to the Incas and Mayas. I'd like to
organize a trip just once, one of these years, when the event happens
at a practical location to visit!

This is not really an ad, though the Sun will be doing a bit of Spring
Cleaning, not a drop of Spring is left...
Best wishes, and bright skies this once in a while,
Doug
(where the Sun just relaxed from 2.2 degrees off the zenith).
Received on Fri 20 Jun 2008 04:55:44 PM PDT