solstices
Sun's turning points
Solstices is the plural of solstice—the two moments each year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marking the longest and shortest days.
The summer solstice (around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere) brings the most daylight; the winter solstice (around December 21) brings the least.
Many cultures mark the solstices with festivals and rituals: The ancient monument aligns with the solstices.
Sun crosses celestial midline
- axisRotation reference line
- tiltAngular deviation from level
- declinationAngular distance from equator
- eclipticSun's apparent annual path
celestial · orbit · hemisphere · zenith · daylight · sunlight · rotation · latitude
Prehistoric megalithic circle
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- paganNon-mainstream religion follower
bonfire · feast · gathering · reverence · ancestor · ceremony · tradition · observance
Peak of warm months
- midwinterSeason's coldest period
- longestGreatest in extent
- shortestLeast long of all
- JuneSixth calendar month
December · turning · darkness · light · warmth · cold · harvest · planting
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- renewalMaking current again
- transitionChange from one state
- thresholdPoint of beginning
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
cycle · return · hope · reflection · darkness · light · death · transformation
equinox
Sun crosses celestial midline
- axisRotation reference line
- tiltAngular deviation from level
- declinationAngular distance from equator
ecliptic · celestial · orbit · hemisphere · zenith · daylight · sunlight · rotation · latitude · tropic
Stonehenge
Prehistoric megalithic circle
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
pagan · bonfire · feast · gathering · reverence · ancestor · ceremony · tradition · observance · pilgrimage
midsummer
Peak of warm months
June · December · turning · darkness · light · warmth · cold · harvest · planting · daybreak
rebirth
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- renewalMaking current again
- transitionChange from one state
- thresholdPoint of beginning
balance · cycle · return · hope · reflection · darkness · light · death · transformation · stillness
- stargazingtelescope, stargazing guides, night sky, stars, constellation
- sky and timesun, moon, stars, planets, comet
- archaeoastronomyStonehenge, stone circles, medicine wheels, ancient observatories, standing stones
- astrologyastrology, zodiac, horoscope, horoscopes, birth chart
- Asian astrologyChinese zodiac, zodiac animals, tiger, rat, goat
- astronomystars, moon, sun, planet, planets
solsticesequinoxes
Equal day and night
vernal equinox · autumnal equinox · spring equinox · fall equinox · March equinox
- winter solsticeShortest day, longest night
- summer solsticeLongest daylight of year
- solstice ceremoniesRituals at peak daylight
- December solsticeYear's shortest daylight period
- solstice celebrationsEvents marking astronomical extremes
- June solsticeYear's longest day