Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 December 21

                     Solstice: Sunrises Around the Year
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Zaid M. Al-Abbadi

   Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the
   months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The
   featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019
   as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The camera in the image is
   always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the
   right. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises
   furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest
   north of east on the June solstice. Today is the December solstice, the
   day of least sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere and of most sunlight
   in the Southern Hemisphere. In many countries, the December Solstice is
   considered an official change in season: for example the first day of
   winter in the North. Solar heating and stored energy in the Earth's
   surface and atmosphere are near their lowest during winter, making the
   winter months usually the coldest of the year. On the brighter side, in
   the north, daylight hours will now increase every day from until June.

              Sunset: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn
                       Tomorrow's picture: three jets
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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