Sun

Dear Sabine, When you draw a picture there is always a house, a stick figure representing you and your sisters, a tree, birds in the sky, and the SUN. When I was your age the elements in my doodles always include a nipa hut, a rice field, and two mountains. Resting between those twin peaks is the SUN.

Only later on did I realize that in real life, that view of the sun nestled between those two mountains could only happen only once or twice a year. The site where the sun sets, or rises, in the horizon always changes everyday. At a given day in a year, the sun will set just behind the mountain on the right, in another day it will set between the two, and in another day it will set behind the mountain on the left (right-middle-left). then later the reverse will happen (left-middle-right).



And if we live in a place on the EQUATOR, there will be a day in a year when the sun will be directly overhead at NOON TIME. That day is called Summer Solstice.

I snitched this Photo above from the blog of our friend, Tita Dhes. If this were taken in a country on the equator at noon time of summer solstice, there won't be any shadows, or they will be kept to a minimum because the sun will be directly overhead.

So why does the sun rise and set in different parts of the horizon? Why is the Sun directly overhead at noon time of summer solstice in places along the equator? It's because as the Earth revolves around the sun, it is spinning on its axis while tilted at 23.5 degrees towards the general direction of POLARIS... Before I put you to sleep, I'll end here (fair warning, JJ, babalikan ko topic na ito, isasama ko kung bakit hanga ako sa ancient greeks, kung paano na measure ni Eratosthenes ang circumference ng mundo during Summer Solstice, etc.)

It's just that Yesterday was Summer Solstice. And when I asked you if you want the Baby in Mommy's tummy to be a Boy or a Girl, you said that you want him to be a BOY. Before when I asked you the same question you wanted a Girl.

So maybe, Mom and I will have a very healthy SON this time.