Newgrange Winter solstice live

Unique solstice event in Ireland.
Winter Solstice At Newgrange
Once a year, at the time of the winter solstice, the sun shines directly along the long passage into the chamber for about 17 minutes as it rises and illuminates the chamber floor. The alignment with the sun is too precise to have occurred by chance. Professor MJ O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to observe this event on December 21, 1967.
The sun however, does not enter the passage at Newgrange through the main entrance, but rather through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, which is directly above the entrance. Although solar alignments are not uncommon among passage graves, Newgrange is the only one known to contain the additional roofbox feature. The solar alignment at Newgrange is also still very precise compared to similar phenomena at other passage graves such as Dowth or Maes Howe in the Orkney islands, off the coast of Scotland.
From 1996

Irish Community Video

Tomorrow and friday 2011 2012 Winter Solstice illumination of the passage and chamber at Newgrange in Co Meath will be streamed live on the internet.
If conditions are good, this next morning and Friday morning the rising sun will illuminate the ancient Irish passage and chamber between 8.58am and 9.15am.
Just 20 people are able to be in the chamber for the event. A lottery is held annually to choose the lucky few.
The live Newgrange winter solstice webcast is available to view here
Watch the Winter solstice at Newgrange live thursday and friday

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Winter solstice
Significance Astronomically marks the middle or beginning of winter, interpretation varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth
Date The Solstice of Winter
December 21 or 22
The solstice when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane as the observer, is the winter solstice. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the Winter solstice occurs sometime between December 20 and 23 each year in the Northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and 23 in the Southern Hemisphere, within either the shortest day or the longest night of the year. Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant, the term is also used to refer to the full day and night (24hrs) within which the event occurs. A more accurate usage might be the "day of the winter solstice" or the "night of/before the winter solstice". Winter Solstice is a controversial subject, since it is sometimes said to astronomically mark the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's Winter and so there is much argument about when it starts. Winter is a subjective term, so there is no scientifically established beginning or middle of winter but Winter Solstice is clearly defined.

The word solstice derives from Latin sol (Sun) and sistere (stand still), Winter Solstice meaning Sun stand still in winter.
The Winter Solstice can occur on the shortest day or longest night of the year but this is not the same as darkest morning or darkest evening which occur on different days.
Solstice event
Winter Solstice At Newgrange
Once a year, at the time of the winter solstice, the sun shines directly along the long passage into the chamber for about 17 minutes as it rises and illuminates the chamber floor. The alignment with the sun is too precise to have occurred by chance. Professor MJ O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to observe this event on December 21, 1967.
The sun however, does not enter the passage at Newgrange through the main entrance, but rather through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, which is directly above the entrance. Although solar alignments are not uncommon among passage graves, Newgrange is the only one known to contain the additional roofbox feature. The solar alignment at Newgrange is also still very precise compared to similar phenomena at other passage graves such as Dowth or Maes Howe in the Orkney islands, off the coast of Scotland.
From 1996

Irish Community Video

Newgrange Winter solstice live

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Newgrange Winter solstice live

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