on December 21 this year, the sun reached its most southerly declination, which means that the North Pole is angled away from the sun to the farthest extent possible, -23.5 degrees.įor the Malibu observer, the sun at midwinter appears to rise south of due north-over Palos Verdes, instead of Los Angeles, and sets south of due west, over the open ocean. Today, it is still a fine place to mark the solstice and to track the path of the sun across the sky throughout the year. There is evidence that Point Dume, which faces due south, was once an important Chumash shrine site. It's easy to forget just how far the sun "travels" away from due west and due east during the year. The website features this graphic representation of the angle of the winter sun.
However, the Malibu Times was invited and has good coverage of the event. The event's organizers didn't respond to this reporter's request to cover the ceremony this year. The solstices and the equinoxes are still observed each year at the Wishtoyo Chumash demonstration village at Nicholas Beach-the ceremony reconstructed by contemporary Chumash elders and led each year by Chumash activist Mati Waiya. The arrival of the moment of the solstice was accompanied by ceremony. Ethnographic records indicate that the moment of the solstice was observed with the aid of a carefully prepared wooden pole that was used as a solar observatory. For the Chumash, as with so many other cultures around the world, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the turning point when the days begin once again to lengthen, was an important occasion. It's certainly true that the Chumash, Malibu's first residents, had a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy and the annual solar cycle. This NOAA graphic illustrates the angle of earth at the time of the winter solstice. She suggested that Malibu residents who spend time outside observing nature develop an almost instinctive understanding of the annual path of the sun and moon across the summer and winter skies.
0 kommentar(er)
