Winter

The Winter ( v. Old High German: wintar; orig. Wet season ) is the coldest of the four seasons in the temperate and arctic climate of the earth. Depending on whether he was there on the northern or the southern hemisphere, one speaks of the northern winter and southern winter. The northern winter takes place simultaneously with the austral summer.

Formation

The seasons occur because the Earth's rotation does not take place in the plane of orbit around the sun, but at 23.4 ° inclined (see obliquity ). This lie south and north poles alternately half a year in glancing sunlight, and the zenith angle of the sun changes in the annual cycle between southern and northern tropic.

Duration

Astronomy

Astronomical winter begins with the winter solstice - the time at which the sun is perpendicular to the turning circle of the other hemisphere, and the days are shortest:

• In the northern hemisphere on 21 or 22 December and
• In the southern hemisphere on June 21.

After that, the days get longer and the nights shorter. The winter ends with the Spring Day and night are equally at

• March 20 or on the night of March 21 in the northern hemisphere and
• 22 or September 23 for the southern hemisphere.

The winter thus lasts 89 days in the northern hemisphere and 93 days on the southern hemisphere.

Since the orbit of the earth around the sun is slightly elliptical, ie deviates from an exact circular path around 1.7%, the four seasons are not exactly the same length. The northern winter are slightly shorter and milder than the southern winter because of the vicinity of the Sun ( perihelion on January 3 ).

Meteorology

Meteorological terms, begins the ( northern) winter on 1 December. The meteorologists assign the seasons full months. The ( northern) autumn ends for meteorologists on November 30. The meteorological ( northern) winter covers the months of December, January and February.

Phenological, the beginning of winter differ from the astronomical considerably and is adjacent to the land-sea distribution ( maritime vs.. Continental climate ) often marked by the beginning of a permanent snow cover. The increase or decrease of glaciers but is less dependent on winter snow conditions as the first snow in the autumn, which inhibits the ablation.

In the Alps Candlemas (February 2 ) a statistical " Lostag " for the weather of late winter. The award shall be known "If it bursts in on Candlemas and snowing, the spring is never far ." Formulated with the same meaning, only the other way around, there is also the country saying: " Sunning the badger in the light measurement weekend, 'he is still four weeks in sei'm hole! "

Approached one divides the winter months of December, January and February in the southern hemisphere and to the June, July and August. Prevails at the geographic poles half a year, the " polar night "; near the polar circles it takes a few days to weeks.

Culture

As in the summer there is also in the winter old customs, some of which have survived or were revived: for example, the solstice as Christmas, Alban Arthuan ( celtic ), Yule ( Norse / Germanic ), Mardi Gras / Carnival / Carnival, Masquerade Ball, Winter combustion and Perchtenlauf.

Gallery

Winter landscape

Winter landscape

The Ammersee in winter