Equinoxes.

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_interzone.ucc.ie>
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 08:14:49 +0100 (BST)


Malcolm Cohen wonders:
> I must be missing something - what is particularly visible and
> constant about the spring equinox?

Constant, yes, but not particularly visible. Less so than on Earth, in fact, since the old dodge of whacking up a great big stone circle, and peering down the central alignment to see if the sun's setting (or rising) along it doesn't work. (For the same reason, the term "solstice" isn't technically applicable in Glorantha -- anyone care for maxiyelm and miniyelm? ;-) )  

Steve Martin posts the "accepted" Equinox and Solstice dates:

> Spring Equinox -- Freezeday/Disorder Week/Sea Season -- 1st day of year
> Summer Solstice -- Fireday/Harmony Week/Fire Season -- Yelm HHD
> Autumnal Equinox -- Clayday/Fertility Week/Earth Season -- Earth HHD
> Winter Solstice -- Fireday/Illusion Week/Dark Season

> This makes the winter season longer than the summer season

If you mean here the Dara Happan Winter then it doesn't, as Sacred Time isn't part of their "year", much less part of "winter". If we're discussing hypothetical intra-solstice seasons, then true.

> which makes sense given the tilt of the Dome.

Not sure I follow. You've just proposed that Summer and Spring are each almost two weeks shorter than Autumn and Winter; this doesn't tally at all with the 1.6 degree difference between northward and southward tilt you propose later. A proportionate difference would be a couple a days, if the equinoxes corresponded with Yelm at the zenith. (Not that I think they do.)

> For various reasons, I have determined that the Sky
> Dome tilts 9 degrees to the north in summer [...]

To the north of the _zenith_? This contradicts not just Elder Secrets, but also GRoY, which both have the Dome "untilted" at the summer solstice, with Pole Star then at the zenith. (Though re-reading GRoY, it also seems to contradict, or at least greatly obfuscate, itself in places, so I'm not betting huge sums of cash either way.)

Isn't it the case that the Dome _only_ tilts to the south, which is the reason for the skewed "seasons", above? Though the connection is somewhat hypothetical, as it's far from clear what the relationship between the angle of the midday sun, and the length of the day should be. (Earthly correspondances need not apply.)

Astronomically,
Alex.


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