Calendar conundrum

[flaja]

The solar year has 365.25 days (more or less since the Indian Ocean Earthquake).

A common calendar year has 365 days.

A leap calendar year has 366 days.

A week has 7 days.

Both types of calendar years have 52 weeks.

But 52 x 7 = 364.

Where does the extra day go?

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, i.e., the day on which your hemisphere gets the greatest amount of sunlight. So why are July and August the hottest period of the year for the Northern Hemisphere when the longest day of the year is in June?

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. So why is January and February the coldest period of the year for he Northern Hemisphere when the shortest day of the year is in December?

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

The solar year has 365.25 days (more or less since the Indian Ocean Earthquake).

A common calendar year has 365 days.

A leap calendar year has 366 days.

A week has 7 days.

Both types of calendar years have 52 weeks.

But 52 x 7 = 364.

Where does the extra day go?

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, i.e., the day on which your hemisphere gets the greatest amount of sunlight. So why are July and August the hottest period of the year for the Northern Hemisphere when the longest day of the year is in June?

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. So why is January and February the coldest period of the year for he Northern Hemisphere when the shortest day of the year is in December?

The greatest heating and cooling build up gradually, the longest and shortest days have little to do with when the highest and lowest temperatures are reached.

One of the advantages of building underground houses is that the waves of heat and cold produced by the summer and winter work their way down into the earth slowly so that by midwinter the ground 6-8 feet down is the warmest that it gets, and similarly the ground is coldest 6-8 feet down in midsummer.

 

[flaja]

The greatest heating and cooling build up gradually, the longest and shortest days have little to do with when the highest and lowest temperatures are reached.

Why? How does the earth build up more heat when it is getting less sunlight and lose more heat when it is getting more sunlight? Shouldn't maximum heat storage for the Northern Hemisphere take place from December to June when the earth is getting more and more sunlight each day?

One of the advantages of building underground houses is that the waves of heat and cold produced by the summer and winter work their way down into the earth slowly so that by midwinter the ground 6-8 feet down is the warmest that it gets, and similarly the ground is coldest 6-8 feet down in midsummer.

I live in Florida. 6-8 feet below ground is usually water. In some places you cannot even dig a hole for a clothes line post without hitting water.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

Why? How does the earth build up more heat when it is getting less sunlight and lose more heat when it is getting more sunlight? Shouldn't maximum heat storage for the Northern Hemisphere take place from December to June when the earth is getting more and more sunlight each day?

Put a pan on the stove with water in it. Turn the heat up gradually and the water will warm. Once you reach the maximum heat setting test the temperature. Then start turning down the heat very gradually, if you keep testing the temperature as you gradually turn the heat down you will find that the temperature continues to rise since you are still putting heat energy into the water. The temperature will continue to rise until your heat setting is low enough to equal the amount of heat being radiated away from the pan.

What we're dealing with is themal inertia. If you accelerate in your car at full throttle you'll go faster, but if you ease off on the throttle to half you'll probably continue to accelerate, but just at a slower rate.

 

[flaja]

The temperature will continue to rise until your heat setting is low enough to equal the amount of heat being radiated away from the pan.

This still leaves a paradox. What makes the Northern Hemisphere lose heat faster before the Summer Solstice than it does after? I would venture that humidity has a role- the more humidity there is in the air the slower the air loses heat so heat can accumulate even though the source of the heat is diminishing. But the only reason why there is more humidity in July and August than there is in May and June is because of the lingering effects of winter- the earth needs time to warm up just as it does to cool off. I understand the cycle, I just wonder why the cycle seems to be out of sync with the sun.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

This still leaves a paradox. What makes the Northern Hemisphere lose heat faster before the Summer Solstice than it does after? I would venture that humidity has a role- the more humidity there is in the air the slower the air loses heat so heat can accumulate even though the source of the heat is diminishing. But the only reason why there is more humidity in July and August than there is in May and June is because of the lingering effects of winter- the earth needs time to warm up just as it does to cool off. I understand the cycle, I just wonder why the cycle seems to be out of sync with the sun.

It loses heat more quickly because it's cold from the winter.