Happy Winter Solstice: Cold Weather, Doomsday Predictions, and a New Era
Dec. 21, 2012 is the beginning of winter, and for some the end of the world.
Welcome to the winter solstice, and a day of doomsday predictions. According to Almanac.com, this year's winter solstice arrived at 6:12 a.m. and was the earliest since 1896. Today is also the shortest day of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere -- the time when the sun reaches the most southern point in the sky. If you're in Alaska, you won't have any daylight hours -- bummer. However, in the Southern Hemisphere, it's the longest day of the year. For those folks, the days will now get progressively shorter. Because the Earth orbits at a angle of 23.5 degrees, its Northern and Southern Hemispheres switch places in receiving sunlight and warmth most directly on this day, according to information on Earthsky.org. Therefore, for …
