Category: Seasons

Summer 2014 starts at 6:51 a.m. EDT, June 21, which is right now if our internet service provider’s clock is accurate.

This means that tilt of Earth’s semi-axis is most inclined to the sun in the Northern Hemisphere which is a solstice.

The axis will in a few moments slowly start reversing itself until it is the Southern Hemisphere that is most inclined to the sun.

The would be the start of our winter (and Australia’s summer).

Today is the longest day of the year. Don’t expect the real heat to start happening for several more weeks, however. It takes a while for the ground to absorb all that solar energy and it is the ground that really makes things hot.

In Europe summer was traditionally considered to start May 1 which is why today is often referred to as “Midsummer.”

This reckoning is still used in Ireland.

Some music to start the season:

Summer 2014 Starts Now

Spring 2014 Starts Now — It is 12:57 EDT, March 20, which means the vernal equinox is now which means Spring has started.

The word equinox is Latin words for “equal night.” Days and nights are approximately equal everywhere and the Sun rises and sets due east and west, explains The Old Farmers Almanac. At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun.

Spring 2014 Starts Now

It’s time to spring forward.

At 2 a.m., tomorrow, March 9, Daylight Saving Time starts so move the timepieces ahead an hour if they are not already programmed to do so.

It ends Nov. 2.

Of course, as spring does not start until 12:57 p.m., March 20, the nights remain longer than days regardless of what government dictates.

Visit BillLawrenceDittos.com for Daylight Saving Time Cometh

Visit BillLawrenceOnline.com for Daylight Saving Time Cometh

Daylight saving time, which began in March, will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov.  3. In other words, tomorrow.

This is the time of the year when clocks are turned back one hour at 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. This marks the resumption of Eastern Standard Time until March 2014. The recommendation is to turn clocks back prior to going to bed tonight

Additionally, it is recommended that batteries on smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors be changed, or at least checked, at this time.

Eastern Standard Time 2013

It is 4:44 p.m. EDT, Sept. 22  according to our post scheduler and, just as it was back on March 20, the tilt of the Earth’s axis is neither away from or towards the Sun.

In other words, autumn has begun.

“Autumn” comes from the Old French word automne which comes from the Latin word autumnus which possibly comes a Etruscan word.

Before autumn came into popular use in the 16th century to describe the season– as did the word fall  as in falling leaves — the English called it Harvest.

When fall was a popular term, immigration to America was picking up and that word was brought to this side of the Atlantic. It became the more common name for this time of year remains so. The term is now obsolete in Britain, however.

The Brits, by the way, consider autumn to be from August to October whereas we consider it from September to November — or December for those of us who are technical minded.

Autumn 2013 Starts Now

Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere right now, 1:04 a.m., EDT,  June 21, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Summer 2013 Starts Now

Daylight Savings Time 2013 — Daylight saving time starts in eight hours from the time of this post which will be 2 a.m., Sunday, March 10.

So turn re turn their clocks ahead one hour before going to bed.

The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin while serving as an American delegate in Paris. Daylight saving time has been used in the U.S. and many European nations since World War I. It was officially adopted in the U.S. in 1918, and was made consistent through the adoption of the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

Daylight Savings Time 2013

Autumn 2012 Starts Now — At this moment, 10:49 a.m. EDT, Sept. 22, the sun has crossed the celestial equator  and autumn has started, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Autumn 2012 Starts Now  Today Sept. 22 Autumn Starts Now Sept. 22