the.com/solstice
the sun hitting the brakes mid-sky, pausing before it changes its mind.
means Either of the two moments each year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky, giving us the longest and shortest days.
from From Latin solstitium, a marriage of sol ('sun') and sistere ('to stand still'), built on the same root as 'stay' and 'stand' — because to ancient sky-watchers the sun seemed to halt its slow march along the horizon, pause, and then turn back the way it came.
- latin roots
- means sun standing still
- ancient clock
- Stonehenge aligns exactly to the rising sun
- twice yearly
- summer's longest day, winter's shortest
- off-earth
- Mars and Saturn have solstices too
winter solstice 2024 — december 21, 2024 at 4:21 am est - shortest day of the year in northern hemisphere
summer solstice 2024 — june 20, 2024 at 8:51 pm est - longest day of the year in northern hemisphere
stonehenge solstice alignment — neolithic monument in wiltshire, england aligns with sunrise/sunset on solstices, built ~3000 bc