Winter solstice as seen from Stonehenge
Winter solstice at Stonehenge.
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Many travel each year to Stonehenge in England – perhaps the most famous of the ancient astronomical monuments found around the world – to be present on the day of the northern winter solstice. (The 2014 December solstice occurs on December 21 at 23:03 UTC). Most who travel to Stonehenge visit the site early in the morning, to watch as the sun rises above the stones. In 2013, according to the BBC, about 3,500 people visited Stonehenge on the morning of the winter solstice. That’s fewer than the BBC reported in 2012 (that year, they said, there were 5,000 visits, which is about the maximum the area can hold for winter solstice festivities, due to winter parking concerns).
Winter solstice visits to Stonehenge apparently always bring fewer visitors than at the summer solstice, when parking can be provided in fields around the site, and when 20,000 to 30,000 people typically turn up for the celebration.
EarthSky Facebook friend Buddy Puckhaber of South Carolina took this photo of Stonehenge in the early morning, while visiting. He said, “My wife and I were among the first visitors of the day.” Thank you, Buddy!
Another beautiful shot of Stonehenge from our friend Buddy Puckhaber. Thank you, Buddy.
Stonehenge is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset (opposed to New Grange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise, and the Goseck circle, which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise).It is thought that the winter solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge than the summer solstice. The winter solstice was a time when most cattle were slaughtered (so they would not have to be fed during the winter) and the majority of wine and beer was finally fermented.
Winter solstice sunset at Stonehenge in the mid-1980s. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
What is special about the winter solstice sunrise and sunset? For the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the sun’s most southerly point on the celestial sphere, the imaginary sphere of stars surrounding Earth. It is sun’s southernmost sunset and thus marksa turning of the year, from decreasing daylight to increasing daylight, for us at northerly latitudes.
This Stonehenge monument – built in 3,000 to 2,000 BC – shows how carefully our ancestors watched the sun. Astronomical observations such as these surely controlled human activities such as the mating of animals, the sowing of crops and the metering of winter reserves between harvests.
When Stonehenge was first opened to the public it was possible to walk among the stones – even climb on them.
The stones were roped off in 1977 as a result of serious erosion. Today, visitors to the monument are not permitted to touch the stones, but, if you go, you will be able to walk around the monument from a short distance away.
Visitors can also make special bookings to access the stones throughout the year.
Comet PANSTARRS above the Stonehenge monument in March, 2013. Image via Simon Banton
Bottom line: The Stonehenge monument in England is a popular winter (and summer) solstice sunrise gathering place. In 2014, the winter solstice happens on December 21 at 23:03 UTC).
