The last two articles I published were a little dark, and a little sarcastic. I thought something different was in order this week, summer is right around the corner after all. I’m publishing this a week early so you can all mark your calendars if you so desire.
June 21, 2023, is almost upon us, and what better way to start a hump day? June 21st this year will be the longest day of the year, well the longest period with the most daylight if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. For most ancient cultures it was one of the most important days of the year. It may have even been the day of the New Year in some cultures. Regardless, it was a day of celebration to most of them, as important as say Christmas is to us. So in the spirit of celebration and summer. I would like to share with you all the first day of Summer which as you might have guessed is Wednesday this year. The sun will be at its highest point in the sky for us Americans around 10:58 am on the east coast.
There are, as I have discovered in my research several ways for you, your family, and your friends if you are so inclined to enjoy. English Heritage, a government non-profit, is hosting a live stream of the moment of sunrise at Stonehenge, perhaps the world’s most famous monument said to be attuned to the solstice. The 2023 stream starts a few hours before sunrise which is 04:49 BST. That is 11:49 pm Eastern Daylight Time for us Americans.
Another event that occurs closer to home and at what might be a more reasonable hour for some of us at 5:25 am EDT (that’s reasonable) is Manhattanhenge, where Americans can see the sunrise climb perfectly above the east-west streets of the island. The best spot or so I have read for Manhattanhenge photos is the elevated Tudor City Bridge on 42nd Street. Never having been there myself I can not give it a recommendation. I have also read that 14th, 23rd, and 34th Street are also great spots for observation locations. I know now that New York was undercover in smoke after I wrote this. It may or may not be a good choice. I’ll leave that up to you, let’s just say air pollution isn’t the only problem New York is facing and I’ll leave it at that.
If you happen to be traveling overseas they say in Iceland, or Sweden the sun never truly sets so the parties often continue through what would be the night. On the Northern Islands of Orkey in Scotland, it is said one can see the sunrise paired in alignment with the Standing Stones of Sternness, a location which may be even older than Stonehenge. If sunsets are more your thing they say in Egypt, you can enjoy the celebration as the sun sets between the Pyramids of Giza.
So in closing, if you are interested in star gazing or history there are plenty of resource materials to look at how, or where you can learn or enjoy this year’s Summer Solstice. I hope you can all find the time to slow down a little and enjoy something that many of our ancestors did.
