03 March 2010 by Tristan Gooley
This photo of the roof of my home tells a story of the sun’s journey.
The morning shadow from the dormer window is retreating and the sun is reaching more of the roof with each minute. The frost from the night before is thawing in the warm light. It is also forming a very simple shadow compass. At this time of year the sun rises very close to east and the direction that the frost is retreating will be west to east. The protruding ‘nose’ of frost near the top of the roof can be joined to the jutting part of the shadow to form a near perfect west-east line.
This effect can be seen in so many places at this time of year, as we get closer to the spring equinox (20 March). It will also work close to the autumnal equinox (23 September this year), but not in…
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Tags: east west shadows, equinox, frost lines, roofs, spring |
19 January 2009 by Tristan Gooley
The title of this post is a little misleading, but I like it and so it stays.
It is that time of year when we all too often wish for the weather to change and then as soon as it does we wish for the old stuff back. The recent very cold snap had us all jumping up and down and rubbing our arms from elbows to shoulders in the vain hope that this might help the situation. When it did not, we turn to each other and say things like, ‘Pfffbrrrphoo, I wonder when things are going to warm up!’
Well they have warmed up a little and now we are being soaked by waves of milder, soggier weather with downpours that have me running around with buckets under leaks. ‘Pfffbrrrpheeek, I wonder when things are going to become cold and dry again!’
Reminiscing about that cold, dry spell,…
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Tags: cold weather navigation, east west shadows |
