Galileo Shrugs

Apparently while I’m a decent baker, I’m lousy at physics (which I should have known already given the grades I once got in Sister Ellen’s classes). Reader Sandra (of Cornell no less) points out:

Actually, the earth’s axis is *always* at 23.4 degrees to the orbital plane. It points “towards” or “away from” the sun as we orbit around it, but fortunately doesn’t actually wobble, going through various angles at different times of the year. The equinox bit has to do with the sun being directly overhead at the equator and equal day & night lengths in both hemispheres. I can’t explain it clearly; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox goes into far too much detail, but it’s there if you’re curious (not to mention links to articles on egg-balancing :-)).

I should know better than to sound all fancy-like on these sorts of topics, but when you’re lord of your own little domain, well…you get to feeling invincible.