STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann
UNL Extension Educator

     Break out your swimsuits, fire up the barbeque, and put on the sunglasses, because summer is here. I just took a look at today’s date and realized that as I write this edition it is the first day of summer. Where did spring go? One thing is for certain, our entry into the summer of 2014 is a lot better from the standpoint of rain than the last couple of years that is a big positive. The down side is that it has also brought some rough weather which has affected a lot of people – including our friends and neighbors. This week I think we need to touch on the damaging results of the storms that brought us the much needed rain and a new web site that UNL Extension is providing to help deal with these disasters and aftermath.     
     Unfortunately this year the bigger chances for moisture has also brought us bigger chances for storms that not only include thunder and lightning, but also brought us high winds, hail, hard rains, as well as dangerous and damaging straight winds as we experienced in Red Cloud, Blue Hill, Ayr and in the Hastings area. Even more damaging were the tornados that have hit several South Central Nebraska communities like Hildreth, Wilcox, Franklin, Keene and elsewhere. 
     We cannot forget the unbelievable damage done by the double tornado that passed through Pilger and surrounding areas.  My heartfelt concern and prayers go out to those who lived through that and now are faced with the daunting task of cleaning up and dealing with the devastation to homes, farms, businesses and livestock.  I know that several other rural and small towns were hit, but this one was extraordinary. The positive side of these storms is that it makes us all stronger and united. Nebraskans are known for being tough and resilient and even more so for work ethic and stepping up to help each other in disasters and times of need.  You can see this in every community that have experienced the wrath of nature. 
     It makes me proud to be from this state and to be associated with people who don’t just sit around waiting for help, but roll up their sleeves, say “get out of the way” and gets things done. I know that we have a lot of people who have been affected by these disasters. If any of you need or know someone who needs help I would point you to a new website that UNL Extension now has on line. Please go to: http://www.extension.unl.edu/disaster-recovery   and stay strong!
     Now let’s take a scientific look at this first day of summer. Yes, Saturday, June 21, marks the first official day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky. But did you know that the summer solstice, as it's called, is also the longest day of the year? Though the hours of sunlight depend on location, many areas will see 14-16 hours’ worth of light. So if you have something that needs to be done….today is the day!
     Officially, the first day of summer is actually referred to as the summer solstice, Now comes the science lesson…..The word solstice is from the Latin “solstitium” from sol (sun) and “stitium” (to stop), because it appears the sun stops at the solstice. The solstice happens twice annually due to the Earth’s axis of rotation. Depending on the calendar year, the summer solstice happens annually in December for the Southern Hemisphere and on either June 20 or 21 in the northern half of the world. The summer solstice occurs precisely when the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined toward the sun, at the degree of 23° 26' – its’ most extreme. In June, the tilt is toward the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, while the second yearly solstice, the winter solstice, in December, the tilt is away from the sun in the Southern Hemisphere.
     A common misconception is that the earth is further from the sun in winter than in summer. Believe it or not, the Earth is closest to the sun in December which is winter in the Northern hemisphere and thus further away in the summer. It has to do with angles and tilt as described in the last paragraph. As the Earth travels around the Sun in its orbit, the north-south position of the Sun changes over the course of the year because of the changing orientation of the Earth's tilted rotation axes. These changes has to do with the Earth's yearly trip around the sun. For part of the year the Earth's North Pole points away from the sun and part of the time towards it. This is what causes our seasons. When the North Pole points toward the sun, the sun's rays hit the northern half of the world more directly. That means it is warmer and we have summer. 
    I, for one, love the seasons and welcome the changes that come with it – including the longer hours of daylight. I mentioned in the opening paragraph that the first day of summer also brings us the longest day as well, and the first day of the summer solstice really is the longest day of the year. Thus, it will bring the most sunlight we will see during the course of the year. The length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a maximum for the year. In the United States, there are about 14½ hours of daylight on this day on the average. Plenty of time to get your work done, right?   
     Now comes the big question. Why is it the longest day? I can tell you there are some days that seem a lot longer to me. Is it really the longest day of the year, or is that a misconception? Well, yes the summer solstice does bring us the longest hours of daylight for the Northern Hemisphere, The sun, which usually rises directly in the east, rises north of east and sets north of west. This means the sun is in the sky for a longer period of time, yielding more daylight and yes the longest day. 
     Now the more logical of us would then wonder why do the warmest days of summer generally come long after the solstice?  OK if that is true, shouldn’t that be the hottest day too -- since it is the longest? Well, if you think about it, we have just come out of the cool part of the year and it reasonably takes a month or two for some geographic areas to see their warmest days simply because it takes the Earth time to warm up. ----Believe me, the hottest days are yet to come! 

The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster