West Seattle Weather Watch: Winter-solstice welcome

In the vein of “if the groundhog sees his shadow …” maybe some bonus could be conferred when Alice Enevoldsen‘s solstice/equinox-sunset parties see the sun. It happened again tonight, for the third consecutive time, after more than a few previous gatherings went sunless. Alice is not only a West Seattleite but also a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and she has invited interested skywatchers to Solstice Park, the former Lincoln Park Annex, on these occasions to see if the sunset really does line up with where the carefully designed markings say it should. She also offers some explanation of what solstice/equinox really means, usually with a “planet Earth” prop and an assistant standing in as the Sun:

The actual moment of the Winter Solstice is 9:30 tonight, our time, so winter is almost here. What about wintry weather, given that this month has been so low on rain, it might set a record? Nothing unusual is in the outlook right now. P.S. Looking ahead three months, the spring equinox will arrive the night of March 19th.

4 Replies to "West Seattle Weather Watch: Winter-solstice welcome"

  • Amy Thomson December 22, 2011 (8:34 am)

    Thanks for mentioning this event on your blog. We wouldn’t have known about it. We had a great time. Wishing everyone in West Seattle a beautiful and glowing return of the light!

  • Donna Barr December 22, 2011 (9:07 am)

    Happy Solstice, everybody! <3

  • datamuse December 22, 2011 (10:18 am)

    Axial tilt is the reason for the season!

    ;)

  • Athena December 25, 2011 (2:15 am)

    Tanner is my son who was the Sun for this awesome little Winter Solstice exhibition :) As a proud momma, I gotta say “Thank you” – what a beautiful transition of time and season, and a wonderful community to celebrate Solstice in. Tanner and I love West Seattle!

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