Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1900 — Winter Began Saturday. [ARTICLE]

Winter Began Saturday.

IT is winter now, whether we recognize it, or not. Last Saturday, Dec. 22nd, was the date of the winter solstice. The sun reaches its furthest point south, the days are the supposed shortest of the year, in the northern hemisphere and when, es the almanacs express it. “Sun enters Capricornus— Winter begins.” This interesting astronomical event usually occurs on Dec. 21st, but it was a little behind schedule time this year, and did not occur until one o’clock, a. m. on the 22nd. The length of the day varies of course according to the distance northward from the equator. At the north pole the sun set for good three mouths ago, and will stay set for three months longer. If one were at the arctic oircle all the day they would have would be a long but probably very bright and beautiful dawn, which would move along the southern horizon, growbrighter and brighter, until just at noon, due south, the tip end ot the sun would show itself a minute or two, and then disappear On the latitude of New York, which is almost the same as that of Rensselaer, and is the same exactly as Remingtons, the sun rose, that morning, at 7:21 a. m. and set at 4:35 p. m. The day’s length was thus 9 hours and 14 minutes. The length of the day will remain about the same for nearly a week, and next Saturday Dec. 29tb, will have only gained 3 minutes in length over what it is now.