Happy New Year.
As we embark on 2014, some thoughts come to mind:
— The Earth reaches perihelion, or its closest distance to the sun, at 7 a.m. Saturday: 92 million miles away. So, if we are closest to the sun now, why is this the coldest time of year on average?
The reason, say NASA scientists, is that seasonal weather patterns are shaped by the 23.5 degree tilt of Earth’s spin axis, not by Earth’s orbit around the sun. During winter, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. Thus, sunlight hits the hemisphere less directly than it does in summer, making winter days here shorter and colder.
— The Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day of the year actually occurred two weeks ago on the winter solstice, the first day of winter. Now, the days are getting longer, almost a minute of daylight gained each day. We are truly leaning toward spring. By the end of this month, Georgia’s total gain in daylight will be almost three-quarters of an hour.
— If the days are getting longer, why are January and February two of the coldest months on average? A major reason is something called “heat lag.” Oceans, which have a huge influence on weather and climate, take longer to heat up than land. The warming of days will come after the oceans have time to heat up. Normal average temperatures begin to rise a bit in February.
— The changing seasons are a main reason that I’m glad to live in Georgia. Each season has its own special beauty, especially spring, when a riot of wildflowers bloom across the state, and the warblers and other neotropical songbirds return with sweet song and vibrant color.
Summer is when all of Georgia seems green and alive with singing, buzzing and chirping, and a cold watermelon on a hot July day is pure delight.
Autumn brings stunning leaf color, more wildflowers and tons of wild berries, fruits and nuts ripening in woods and fields.
Winter brings rafts of wild ducks on ponds and lakes. Limb patterns of bare, leafless trees, silhouetted against a winter sky, are an artist’s delight.
As in previous years, in 2014 I will be getting out into the woods, fields, swamps and rivers as much as possible to revel in this splendor.
IN THE SKY: The moon will be first quarter on Wednesday, Jan. 8, rising in the east around lunch time and setting in the west around midnight, said David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer. Mars is in the east a few hours after dark. Jupiter rises out of the east just before dark and is visible all night. Saturn rises out of the east about three hours before sunrise. Mercury and Venus are not easily visible now. The Quadrantid meteor shower continues this weekend; look to the north after dark.
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