At 15:44 Greenwich Mean Time, 16:44 British Summer Time, 17:44 Central European Time, the sun crossed the equator and headed south for the winter (look at the time at the bottom of this post!). This is the equinox again; the astronomical end of summer and beginning of autumn. As with the spring equinox, we can see on the above map of the world that the day is 12 hours and the night 12 hours everywhere on earth today (more or less, given our planet's curvature).Compare today with the spring equinox, six months ago, and with summer solstice, three months ago.
For the next six months, the northern hemisphere will have more darkness than daylight. A depressing thought. I can already feel that my appetite has sharply increased during the past two dismal (weatherwise at least) weeks. As soon as I've finished one huge slap-up meal I feel ready for another. A biological signal that the coming winter will be a harsh one?
My wife meanwhile is forsaking fruit for cake. A sure sign we're going to be putting on the fat. But then that's what Lent is all about - cleansing the body of all those unnecessary toxins and losing the weight piled on over winter. And, of course, for contemplating the hereafter.
This time last year:
Last sunrise of summer, first sunset of autumn
Potato harvest time, Jeziorki
On the road to Łuków
Parcels at twilight
March of Progress
For the next 12 months,or only 6?
ReplyDeleteGulp! Six, changed, thank!
ReplyDelete