Equinoxes.

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From: Alex Ferguson (abf@interzone.ucc.ie)
Date: Sun 29 Jun 1997 - 10:14:49 EEST

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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