why are the days shorter in december than in june? and what would be the situation in southern hemisphere?
356518
The Earth is tilted by 23 1/2 degrees. During the Summer months, the north is pointed toward the Sun allowing more direct sunlight. During the winter, we are tilted away from the sun so the sunlight is more indirect as the sun seems lower in the sky. There are 4 cardinal points in our calender; Summer solstice, autumnal equinox, winter solstice and vernal equinox. Beginning of summer, fall, winter and spring. This coincides with the position of earth as it goes around the sun. Each of the cardinal days can take place over a three day period, 20th, 21st, 22nd. On June 20th, summer solstice, it is the longest day of the year. It is also the day that the north pole is pointing directly at the sun. The next day it will have passed this point and start pointing away from the sun, hence, the days will also start getting shorter. For further info, feel free to email me, orion_1812@yahoo.com
1138253
In the Northern hemisphere, the "Winter" solstice is on December 21. It is the "Summer solstice that occurs on June 21st. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true.\nThe change in the amount of daylight is very small for the first few weeks, but as we approach the next solstice the change increases up to about 9 minutes a day.
192644
Because they are further from the sun, and therefore are colder regions, the same reason that the equator is a much warmer, temperate climate. \n\nAlso to note is that on the equator the days are almost the same length all year round and the nearer to the poles you go the more the days and nights are affected. At the north pole some times of year are permanently light and the opposite at the south pole. This is due to the Earth's tilt.
24792
Good grief what a wild set of answers. Here's the right answer.\n\nThey are very closely related, but not the same thing or we would not need two words.\n\nEquinox refers to approximately equal periods of day and night. There are two each year. The one in the spring is the vernal or spring equinox. The one in the fll is the autumnal of fall equinox.\n\nSolstice refers to the position of the sun in the sky. The sun is at its northernmost point in the sky  at the summer solstice and at its southernmost point in the sky for the winter solstice.\n\nBoth words are about tracking movements of the sun, but for different events. Here are the dates for each\n\nSummer Solstice - June 21\n\nWinter Solstice - December 22\n\nSpring Equinox - March 20\n\nFall Equinox - September 22\n\nAll of these dates are for the northern hemisphere. By the way, the sun crosses the equator on the days of the two equinoxes.
720718
Actually, the sun is at a focus of the ellipse not at the center, so there is only one closest and one farthest point. \n\nBut that has nothing to do with summers and winters! In fact, the summer in the northern hemisphere is when the earth is farthest from the sun! The tilt of the earth's axis is what makes the seasons. As we go around the sun, the northern hemisphere is sometimes pointed in the general direction of the sun (giving summer then) and at other times it is pointed away from the sun (giving winter then). When the northern hemisphere is having summer (because it is pointed toward the sun), the southern hemisphere is having winter (because it is pointed away).
805152
winter is december 21st and summer is june 21st
20703
Since this is for school, I think you should do your own research, don't you?  Here's a link that may help answer your question.  Also bear in mind that seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite of the Northern--it's summer in Australia right now!
884395
In the Northen Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, which is when daylight starts gettings longer again.
57456
Yes.  Why is the shortest day of the year the _beginning_ of winter?  It should be the middle.  Winter should start six weeks before the shortest day of the year, and summer, six weeks before the longest.
705264
The sun is at the lowest point in the sky on Dec 21 or 22, it is at the highest point in the sky, the summer solstice, on June 21.
950189
You did meant to say "months" twice, right?  Because moths and months are slightly different things.\n\nAnyway, the difference is caused by how close the earth is to the sun (during its orbit around the sun.)  When the earth spins each day, it turns from day to night because the earth is facing the sun for half of the turn (roughly) and facing away for the other half (causing day and night.)  But depending on the orbit, the sun hits the earth differently.\n\nThe sun in fall and winter is more direct, I mean, like it hits you in the face.  It's, um, slanted differently.  But the light is weaker since the part of the earth that's having cold weather is tilted further from the sun.  Did I mention that the earth is tilted?  So that way, one hemisphere is tilted closer to the sun during one side of the orbit, and the other hemisphere gets the seasons during the opposite time of year (other side of the orbit.)  \n\nOK, like imagine that this percent mark % represents the northern and southern hemispheres.  Imagine that the % mark is traveling in a circle around a central sphere.  So on one side of the circle, the upper 0 is tilted toward the sun (spring and summer) and the lower 0 is on the other side of the tilted line and it's further from the sun.  But when the % gets to the other side of the circle, the *upper* 0 is on the far side of the tilted line and then the *lower* 0 is closer to the sun.  Which gives you seasons.\n\nI guess it gets lighter and darker faster because there's less clouds in fall and winter (it's colder, so there's less smog and haze and cloud cover in general) so dawn and dusk seem to happen faster.  Plus, there's less light and heat in general.  \n\nI hope that made sense.  The % thing makes sense to me, but if it doesn't, then make yourself a 3D model and see if it makes sense.
359821
Parts of Alaska, June 21st has 24 hour sun.  Winter on Dec. 21st has 24 hr. night.  It's seasonal and depends on the earth's tilt on the axis in relation to the sun.  In the summer, the axis is pointed in such a way that there is no night, in the winter, it's the same with no daylight.
195704
The sun appears at night in places in the far northern reaches during June. North of the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees north latitude), the "midnight sun" appears.\n\nThe phenomenon also occurs around the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, but south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5 degrees south). So it's not in any single country, but those places north or south of the given lines of latitude.
841026
The shortest day is actually the last Sunday in March. This is when we put the clocks forward one hour moving from GMT to BST. That Sunday is only 23 hours long.\n\nThis is a great trick question in quizzes.\n\nIf you mean which day has the least sunlight (assuming no clouds) then the answer is 21st December. This is the Winter Solsitce.
1163061
It's not.  It's the longest, but not the shortest.  The shortest is the first day of winter.  And technically, they're both the same length, about 24 hours, but first day of summer has the most daylight and first of winter has the least.  I has to do with the earth's rotation on it's axis-- on the first of summer the hemisphere in question is closest to and tilted towards the sun, maximizing daylight.  The first of winter it's still closest to, but tilted away from the sun, minimizing daylight
828997
I believe you are referring to the changes in the seasons.  Because the rotational axis of the earth is tilted a bit more than 23 degrees away from it's orbital plane the earth gets a bit more in the way of the sun (so to speak) as winter approaches so sunrise is a bit later each day, and sunset a bit earlier.  After the winter solstice less and less of the earth is in the way, so sunrise starts a bit earlier each day, and sunset a bit later, until the summer solstice.  Interestingly dusk is longer in the winter because the sun rises and sets at more of an angle to the horizon.  For the same reason, in the tropics dusk is shorter because the sun rises and sets more nearly vertical.  In the more northern part of the northern hemisphere and the more southern part of the southern hemisphere dusk may last all night long in the summer (culminating in the "midnight sun" north of the arctic or south of the antarctic circles).  In addition, due to the refraction of the atmosphere we see the sun earlier than actual sunrise and later than actual sunset (the atmosphere acts as sort of a lens).
650117
Same as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere:\n\nSpring: March\nSummer: June\nFall/Autumn: September\nWinter: December