Solstice...

    In the last couple of days I've heard some folks who should know better completely screw up simple explanations of the solstice. This is stuff I learned back in Miss Ralph's fourth grade classroom. Twice I've heard commentators refer to the solstice as the earth reversing its tilt. If that actually happened then twice a year we would get climate changes that make global warming insignificant.
Here's a blogger I respect; The Wise Turtle who says "I challenge you to learn like a scientist, and live like an artist." Well the turtle took a bit of artistic license with yesterday's blog.
Another mention was made on a local weather broadcast by a comunications major who took a test to get her meteorological certification so she could screw up yesterday's broadcast.: "At 12:47 this afternoon the earth's axis will reverse, marking the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year".

  I remember having to teach this to the 18 year old weather junkies coming to observer school in the 80's The Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 deg(the axis) from the perpendicular. It stays that way all year, every year. To be fair there is specualtion by geologists that the axis has changed at times in the past and may do so again in the future. Unlikely in the next week or two though.(btw, that's an official forecast)
 
As it goes around the sun that tilt doesn't change. its that tilt that causes our seasons and drives the whole heating mechanism that is utlimately responsible for the weather we experience locally.
 

MSNBC gets it right with their graphics: I notice they rely on NOAA instead of having an internal weather hack mess it up.

 

Pretty simple really. Notice the axis never changes, Only the angle relative to the sun does.  Even a local TV weather putz should get this one right. Turtle I love you. I read your wisdom every day. But when it comes to weather wisdom don't go any farther than: In the rain a wise man carries an umbrella. Tag out.