December 22, 2007
You are a way for the cosmos to know itself, Carl Sagan once said. On your birthday, the cosmos got to know itself a little better.
Tyrrhenian Sea and Solstice Sky
Birthday · December 22, 2007
A little universe, just for you
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APOD published December 22, 2007. Credit: Danilo Pivato. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Today the Solstice occurs at 0608 Universal Time, the Sun reaching its southernmost declination in planet Earth's sky. Of course, the December Solstice marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south. When viewed from northern latitudes, the Sun will make its lowest arc through the sky along the southern horizon. So in the north, the Solstice day has the shortest length of time between sunrise and sunset and fewest hours of daylight. This striking composite image follows the Sun's path through the December Solstice day of 2005 in a beautiful blue sky, looking down the Tyrrhenian Sea coast from Santa Severa toward Fiumicino, Italy. The view covers about 115 degrees in 43 separate, well-planned exposures from sunrise to sunset. APOD presents: Astronomy Pictures of the Year for 2007
Image credit: Danilo Pivato