39 Long and cold winter nights are the perfect time to look up and enjoy the clear, dark skies.


Aurora Borealis Recently this famous northern hemisphere light


show has been visible in more southern skies in the UK. But why? These ‘curtains’ of light and colour are caused by the interaction of charged solar particles with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. These lights have been visible further south as the sun is near to the peak of its solar cycle (which lasts about 11 years) and they should be visible until mid 2025. The lights vary according to altitude, weather and the brightness of the moon so predicting them can be tricky. Want to know more? Visit Aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk – a free service offering alerts of when the aurora might be visible in the UK.


Winter Solstice The winter solstice – 9.21am on 21 December to be


precise – marks the shortest day of the year when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky and positioned directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Astronomically this marks the first day of winter - a day to celebrate as we (in the northern hemisphere) can look forward to days with more light.


WINTER SOLSTICE


Guided walk at Buckland Abbey,


Yelver ton, 21 December Join the lead ranger to welcome in the


light on the shortest day of the year. 7 - 9.30am. Booking essential. Nationaltrust.org.uk


Snowdrops


Snowdrops (galanthus) are a welcome sight along riverbanks and in woodlands and are a visual


promise of spring ahead. Traditionally, they were used to


treat headaches and as


a painkiller and in modern medicine a compound in the


bulb has been used to develop a dementia treatment. However – be warned – as the bulbs themselves are poisonous. There are over 19 wild species of this delicate white flower with Dartington, Coleton Fishacre and Cockington all worth visiting for their extensive displays.


Sources: woodland trust, rng.co.uk


Did you know?


The types of gases present in the earth’s atmosphere also determine the colours you can see. The green is characteristic of heated oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.


snowdrops..... As well as


Look out for catkins and buds on trees, hellebores, frogsapawn and an increase in birdsong.... and know that spring is just around the corner!


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