[pct-l] Holiday Cheers....

[bradevergreendvm at yahoo.com (Brad Evergreen)]

So, I can drive the biggest SUV then and climate change is really because the earth axis shift?  Just a thought.  Brad

Sharon & Chuck Chelin <chelin@teleport.com> wrote:  Good afternoon,

If the traditions are based upon the changing of the seasons noticed by
ancient peoples, it must have been only a sometimes thing because the earth
does not always have seasons. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the
earth's axis away from being parallel to its axis of revolution around the
sun. Currently this off-angle is at it's maximum of about 22.5 deg. Over a
total period of 25,800 years this axis will have moved to zero, then on to
22.5 deg. the other direction, across zero again, and back to where it is
now. From where we are now to zero deg. of tilt, either in the past or in
the future, is then only one fourth of this cycle, which is 6,450 years, and
well within the human period. It also means that 12,900 years ago the
northern hemisphere had it shortest day in June just like Australia has now.
This phenomenon is called precession.

With zero inclination of the earth's axis, the sun will rise in the same
place every day of the year, and thus there will be no seasons. One
significance of this is a change in the distribution of heat across the
planet. With zero inclination and the sun always over the equator, the
equatorial areas will become unusually hot, and the polar areas will become
unusually cold. It's much like twirling a marshmallow on a stick
perpendicular to the fire: The center burns and the ends stay white.
People who study these things try to equate the various ice ages with
precession.

So, the bottom line is, you PCT hikers in the Class of 8,456 will not have
to worry about beating the seasons during a thru hike, but it will be really
hot in SoCal, and you may have to finish the hike on a fully developed
glacial ice cap. Also, don't use old year-2000 celestial navigation data.
Polaris will no longer be the pole star because it will be revolving with
the others 22.5 deg off north.

Steel-Eye

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