–Beth Krommes
The calendar pages ( 112–13 9) are the heart of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. They present sky sightings and astronomical data for the entire year and are what make this book a true almanac, a “calendar of the heavens.” In essence, these pages are
unchanged since 1792, when
Robert B. Thomas pub- C lished his first edition. The A long columns of numbers L and symbols reveal all of E N nature’s precision, rhythm, and D glory, providing an astronomical A look at the year 2009. R
THE SEASONS OF 2009
Spring . . . . . . . March 20, 7: 44 A.M. EDT Autumn. . . . . September 22, 5: 19 P.M. EDT Summer. . . . . . . June 21, 1: 46 A.M. EDT Winter . . . . . December 21, 12: 47 P.M. EST
■ The seasons occur because as Earth revolves around the Sun, its axis remains tilted at 23. 5 degrees from the perpendicular. This tilt causes different latitudes on Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice (around June 21) marks the beginning of summer and occurs when the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun. The winter solstice (around December 21) marks the beginning of winter and occurs
when the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun.
The equinoxes occur when the hemispheres equally face the Sun and receive equal amounts ( 12 hours each) of daylight and darkness. The vernal equinox (around March 20) marks the beginning of spring; the autumnal equinox (around September 23) marks the beginning of autumn. In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. (continued)
References:
Archives