Winter Solstice Draws Thousands To Stonehenge
The winter solstice saw a gathering of thousands of people at Stonehenge. This year’s astronomical phenomenon was considered to be the most moderate December 22 ever since records were kept.
While the event was considered “finely balanced” by the Met Office, the 105-year record of Hoylake for the warmest may be broken as the sun shone in the afternoon of December 22. The 16.1 degrees Celsius record set in 1910 at Hoylake, Merseyside may be broken at the Greater London area.
Even as it was rather cloudy, the temperature may go over 16 degrees Celsius if the sun will comes out from behind the clouds in the afternoon, according to a spokesman.
Winter Solstice Draws Thousands To Stonehenge - image credit: bbc.co.uk
Senior Druid, King Arthur Pendragon, said nearly 5,000 people gathered at the prehistoric landmark at Wiltshire to mark the event when the sun is positioned at its lowest point. He said there were nearly 5,000 individuals at the site during the winter solstice. While month of December was quite mild for the most part, the windy and rainy weather at night may have discouraged more people from joining the event.
He added that many people are starting to look to nature due to “global warming and the environment. Due to this, Earth-based religions have become appealing to many people. Winter also represents hope and renewal. The senior Druid also said he has been visiting Stonehenge for around three decades already.
The solstice this year was at 4:49 AM and the sun started to rise over Stonehenge at 8:04 AM.
The winter solstice is an event that happens each year wherein the North Pole tilts around 23.5 degrees in the opposite direction of the sun. In this situation, the northern hemisphere leans away from the sun. Due to this, Tuesday had the shortest day and longest night for the entire year.
Posted by
James Fried
on Wednesday December 23 2015, 9:59 AM EST.
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