The winter solstice is a point in time. It occurs when the sun is at its greatest distance from the plane of the equator. Since it is really only a point in time, it has no real duration; we call the day in which it occurs the "Winter solstice", but the winter solstice is actually an event which occurs on that day.
2007-01-19 05:27:55
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answer #1
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answered by computerguy103 6
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It's a "sine curve."
The sun in the course of the seasons traces out a pattern in the sky that in trigonometry is called a "sine curve." The absolute lowest point is the winter solstice (and the highest point the summer solstice).
Since the bottom (and the top) of the curve is very flat, it makes all the days for almost a month-and-a-half on either side of each solstice seem about the same length, give or take a few minutes.
In New York, the earliest sunset is on December 8th and the latest sunrise January 5th. You could say that the season of the winter solstice lasts about four weeks between those two dates.
2007-01-19 13:34:07
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answer #2
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answered by Anne Marie 6
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The winter solstice is a single day.
2007-01-19 13:19:45
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answer #3
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answered by hcbiochem 7
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There are no days in a winter solstice. It is a singular point in time.
2007-01-19 17:18:45
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answer #4
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answered by Helmut 7
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1 day
2007-01-23 02:29:51
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answer #5
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answered by Chad 7
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One.
2007-01-19 13:22:06
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answer #6
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answered by lisateric 5
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