Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
Five thousand two hundred years ago some inhabitants of this island built the biggest passage grave at Newgrange, Co. Meath, about 40-odd miles NW of Dublin, which didn't exist then.
The average lifespan of people at that time was just 29 years and little is known of their means of communication or transmission of information down the generations.
Suffice it to say that enough accurate astronomical information was extant for them to successfully build a narrow covered passage in stone oriented to the sunrise at the Winter Solstice, which this year occured on Dec. 22nd. this morning. Fortunately it was clear and the Sun obliged at about 09.20AM and duly shone in along the passage for a few minutes as it has done for more than 5000 years.
Tom
The average lifespan of people at that time was just 29 years and little is known of their means of communication or transmission of information down the generations.
Suffice it to say that enough accurate astronomical information was extant for them to successfully build a narrow covered passage in stone oriented to the sunrise at the Winter Solstice, which this year occured on Dec. 22nd. this morning. Fortunately it was clear and the Sun obliged at about 09.20AM and duly shone in along the passage for a few minutes as it has done for more than 5000 years.
Tom
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Carpe Diem......Seize the Day !
Re: Winter Solstice
Nice pictures. Impressive as to what the "primitives" were capable of!
- denimini
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Re: Winter Solstice
Very interesting. The winter solstice was a significant event for those living in cold climates; I didn't realise it was so for the dead.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
- skirtyscot
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Re: Winter Solstice
It's amazing, isn't it? I would love to see one in action, though getting a ticket doesn't mean you get to see the light show!
Keep on skirting,
Alastair
Alastair