Tag: analemma

Winter Solstice Anal Emma and more

Posted on by paultmorrison

David Cox got after me at the Christmas party I was not posting enough and goodness, a month has practically gone by since my last photo. So instead of posting my annual analemma shot for Winter Solstice, and wish everyone a Happy Festivus, I’ll post some pics from the other end of the analemma. When Thacher Island is a hot paddle in July.

No kayaking today!
Six lighthouses on Cape Ann to choose from but these two are my favorite.
If you ever played the Computer game Myst popular in 1993 you know that the Miller brothers had to have visited Thacher Island.
Except in Myst, there were zip lines between the lighthouses. Rockport should install them.
Rubber Duck wanted to say hello to the sixty seagulls lining the rail. Only Homie stuck around.
Me: “What rhymes with orange.” Rubber Duck: “No it doesn’t.”

I quack myself up. OK, I’ll stick to photos. Here is the analemma. Today on the winter sostice we are the yellow ball. The blue ball of course denotes when certain people who do not chicken out jump into Gloucester Harbor.

The meteorological start of Spring, March First, is only seventy days away. (And Mother’s Day, the day we catch the first striper, is 143 days away.)
Happy Festivus one and all. (Now help me up bro, my knee!)

Winter Solstice Tonight at 6:03PM

Posted on by paultmorrison

Festivus for the Rest of Us, The winter solstice, the day that our ancestors  back at least 50,000 years understood to be the shortest day of the year. A day one needs to do weird stuff in order to convince the sun to turn around and come back. It happens at 6:03 PM Eastern Standard Time tonight.

This is the analemma as seen from the Shores of Cape Ann. Our sunrise tomorrow is that little yellow ball at the bottom of the figure eight. The blue ball marks New Year's Day when we celebrate that the sun really has made the turn so we jump in the harbor.
This is the analemma as seen from the Shores of Cape Ann. Our sunrise tomorrow is that little yellow ball at the bottom of the figure eight. The blue ball marks New Year’s Day when we celebrate that the sun really has made the turn so we jump in the harbor.

Some stuff about New Year’s Eve Plunge. See EJ’s post here.

“The Plunge will take place at noon on New Year’s Day at Oaks Cove Beach (Stevens Lane and Wonson Street) on Rocky Neck.”

1/1/2015 is looking to be a pleasant day in the 40s. A nice North Easter is going to blow a gale on Christmas Day dumping two inches of rain into the harbor so it will be at least a tenth of a degree warmer.   After the Polar Vortex of last year, a nice change. The tide will be ebbing to low at 2:08 PM so plenty of beach to spread the blankets on. My one tip: Low tide means running on sharp tiny rocks and barnacles in the water. Wear some sturdy beach shoes. I go with a nice neoprene booty.  Neoprene usage on any other appendage is illegal and you will not receive your official plunge pin if wearing even a tiny neoprene Speedo. There will be a package check prior to the recitation of the plunge poem. The Rockport Information Booth package checker will be responsible for flagging fouls.

A little old lady does a great job answering all of the questions you might have.
A little old lady does a great job answering all of the questions you might have.

We Made It!

Posted on by paultmorrison
weather
According to this chart, as of today, it isn’t going to get below freezing ever again. Friday, in the 50s. Polar vortex, you can suck it.
analemmarockportwrhere
We are over the fishing pole on the analemma and heading up. Has anyone seen any mackerel? Is it time to oil the reel?

Analemma Part II, sunrise

Posted on by paultmorrison

I was admiring Joey’s sunrise photo he posted today and started thinking about where exactly the sunrise was this morning and when he would post a sunrise with the sun splitting the twin towers on Thachers.

After screwing around with astronomy tables for an hour I discovered a web calculator that figures it all out.  Solar Calculator click here.
1) Go to site and click on the map.
2) Keep double-clicking until the marker is in your backyard.
3) Go to the bottom of the table and click “show on map” both the sunrise and sunset.

Sunrise in Joey’s shot this morning at Good Harbor Beach was way down here:
This position of sunrise is not much different from a month ago at the winter solstice:

That’s because the sun is swinging around the bottom of the analemma (I posted here) and there isn’t much change. But we are gaining two minutes a day in day length now and it won’t be long before sunrise is before 7AM (January 29 to exact).

On June 21 during the summer solstice Joey will have the sun rise right about here on Good Harbor:

Check the solar calculator out. It is really easy to use once you get the hang of jumping around. Save your backyard position or figure out the exact day that a Good Harbor sunrise splits the uprights of the Twin towers. Lazy photographers who want to know exactly where the sun will be rising for their morning shot can figure it all out here.

If you do one thing, get the map centered on your favorite sunrise and sunset spot with the “show sunrise” and show sunset” lines turned on and then move the dates to June 21 and December 21.

Now they just need to make one of these things for the moonrise.