olly
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winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 11:45
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would the people who use this forum regularly see sunrise (into the 21st) or sunset (on the 21st) as the more significant event around this day.
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Creyr
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 13:06
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This year the solstice is timed for 6.37 pm on the 21st. Which lends itself nicely to observing sunset on 21st AND sunrise on 22nd. I'll be keeping a fire going all night to see us through the darkest hours.
Someone once told me that technically the sun is at standstill at solstice and doesnt actually start to return until 3 days later - hence big party on the 25th.
Don't know how true that is.
Be interesting to hear what others think.
cx
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Creyr
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Re: ps
Dec 01, 2005, 13:15
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obviously i dont mean that the sun stops moving...durrr ; )
just that the ancients would not have been able to observe any lengthening of the days until 25th. (so technically was the wrong word )
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Spaceship mark
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 13:24
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I think the commonly held theory is that the sunrise is more important. The sun rising on the solstice would be the signal for a collective sigh of relief after months of nights getting longer and temperatures dropping it would signify that the sun was still gonna come up and not just slowly fade away.
Many megalithic 'burial' monuments are aligned on the midwinter sunrise and there's the 'Stonehenge is a midwinter monument' theory too.
The fact that the sun rises in the same place for a few days would be terribly useful as, if it was cloudy, you got a few more chances. Maybe if it was cloudy throughout this would be a 'bad omen'...
What with the year not being exactly 365 days it would probably be a useful 'reset' as well for measuring time...
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Wiggy
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 13:29
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I reckon though, that you would watch the Sun set and then spend yr night praying for it to come back like yr life depended on it (which of course, it does).
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bawn79
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 14:12
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So anyone got any ideas for watching the winter solstice sunrise in ireland. I was at Baltray last year for it.
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Mr Hamhead
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 15:02
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I will be in Calcutta.....
......any ideas!!!
Mr H
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Vybik Jon
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 15:11
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Drink bottled water.
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StoneLifter
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 15:15
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Then there are the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the counting only starts on Christmas Eve, I think, so something's slipped somewhere. Last year there was webcam inside Maeshowe that was streaming the sunsets - actually it was very cloudy for weeks - over that period. It would be easy enough to mark a windowsill with a pencil to test which was true.
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StoneLifter
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Re: winter solstice
Dec 01, 2005, 15:18
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Happy coincidence - the webcam starts broadcasting today - here it is - http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/main.html - please send this gadgee messages of support sometimes. The Orkney burial mound pinhole camera ...
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