January 14, 2021 3 min read
For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the longest nights and shortest days of the year. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere is having short nights and long days.
Solstices happen twice a year - once around June 21 and then again around December 21. On the June Solstice, the Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23° 30′ North) in the Northern Hemisphere, while on the December Solstice, the Sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (latitude 23° 30′ South) in the Southern Hemisphere. The December Solstice can happen on December 20, 21, 22 or 23, though December 20 or 23 solstices are rare. The last December 23 solstice was in 1983 and will not happen again until 2303.
The term solstice comes from the Latin wordsolstitium, meaning 'the Sun stands still'. This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southernmost position as seen from the Earth. The Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction. It's also common to call it the day the Sun turns around.
Many cultures around the world hold feasts and celebrate holidays around the December Solstice.
Step 1. We begin construction with the axes of symmetry, draw vertical and horizontal. Draw an ellipse on the horizontal axis, the phases of the planet will be located on it. (Pencil B)
Step 2. Draw the circles — these are the future phases of the planet and the sun. We place them at all points of intersection of the lines. (Pencil B)
Step 3. Remove all unnecessary construction lines and start drawing details. The circle in the center will be the sun, and all the other phases of the planet Earth, therefore we draw approximately the same outlines of the continents on them. We make arrows from the ellipse. (Pencil B)
Step 4. Remove the contour tone with a nag and draw over it with colored pencils. For the sun we use yellow and orange, and for the earth phases we use green and blue. (Colored pencils yellow, orange, green, blue)
Step 5. Start painting from the sun. Paint over its center with yellow, and use orange for shadows and specks. Paint over the edges with orange, then make shadows with red. We make the ring of fire around it orange. (Colored pencils orange, yellow, red)
Step 6. At the beginning, paint the upper and lower phases. The top one will be the lightest, so we use light green and blue for it, and blue and green for the shadows. The bottom one will be the darkest for it, use green and blue, and make the shadows dark green and dark blue. (Colored pencils light green, light blue, blue, green, dark blue, dark green)
Step 7. Let's move on to the lateral phases. Since this is the summer and winter solstices, one half will be dark, the other light. On the left side there will be the left part of the dark, on the right side the right. We paint them according to the same principle as the two previous phases, respectively, according to colors, but the most important thing is to make the transition from light to dark as soft as possible. (Colored pencils light green, light blue, blue, green, dark blue, dark green)
Step 8. The last step, using a blue pencil, add inscriptions and a dashed horizontal dividing line. (Colored pencil blue)
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