astronomical data for the entire year and are what ma ke
The calendar pages ( 114– 141)
are the heart of The Old
Farmer’s Almanac. They
–Beth Krommes
present sky sightings and
this book a true almanac, a “calendar
of the heavens.” In essence, these pages
are unchanged since 1792,
when Robert B. Thomas
published his first edi-
tion. The long columns of
numbers and symbols re-
veal all of nature’s precision,
rhythm, and glory—providing an as-
tronomical look at the year 2008.
C
A
L
E
N
D
A
R
THE SEASONS OF 2008
Spring . . . . . . . . . . . March 20, 1: 48 A.M. ED T
Summer . . . . . . . . . . . June 20, 7: 59 P.M. ED T
Autumn. . . . . . September 22, 11: 44 A.M. EDT
Winter . . . . . . . . December 21, 7:04 A.M. EST
■ The seasons occur because as Earth
revolves around the Sun, its axis remains
tilted at 23. 5 degrees from the perpendic-
ular. This tilt causes different latitudes on
Earth to receive varying amounts of sun-
light throughout the year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the sum-
mer 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 hemi-
spheres equally face the Sun and receive
equal amounts ( 12 hours each) of day-
light and darkness. The vernal equinox
(around March 21) 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.
References:
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