Donate SIGN UP

Stonehenge - Does It Point Both Ways?

Avatar Image
bainbrig | 15:24 Wed 12th Dec 2018 | History
2 Answers
Stonehenge at midsummer shows sunrise at the longest day.

Is there a function of the stones showing sunrise at midwinter?

It’s always struck me that the turning of the year is/was far more significant than marking the decline.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 2 of 2rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by bainbrig. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Stonehenge is tied to the winter solstice, too. At Stonehenge on the day of the northern winter solstice (always around December 20), people watch as the sun sets in the midst of three great stones – known as the Trilithon – consisting of two large vertical stones supporting a third, horizontal stone across the top.

In the case of Stonehenge, this great Trilithon faces outwards from the center of the monument, with its smooth flat face turned toward the midwinter sun. In fact, the primary axes of Stonehenge seems to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunset.

https://earthsky.org/human-world/gallery-the-winter-solstice-as-seen-from-stonehenge
Question Author
Thanks moggy, and for the link.

I know there’s less chance of a decent sunrise on December 20th, but as I said, it’s always struck me as more likely to have a festival singing “the sun’s coming back!” than the opposite.

BB

1 to 2 of 2rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Stonehenge - Does It Point Both Ways?

Answer Question >>

Related Questions

Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.