Winter Solstice at Newgrange

Posted on Wednesday 22 December 2004 to unknown

Happy Solstice Day! This article is a slightly updated version of what I ran at the same time last year.

Newgrange's white quartz wall illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise.

Five hundred years older than the Great Pyramids of Giza and a thousand years older that Stone Henge, the passage tomb of Newgrange in Ireland is the oldest roofed structure in the world.

It's purpose was to act as a gnomon to mark the Northern winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. At dawn on that day every year (either December 21st or 22nd), the sun rises from its most Southern point and shines directly onto the dazzling white quartz outer wall of Newgrange asd well as passing through a hole and illuminating its inner chamber. The construction of Newgrange was a remarkable feat of engineering demonstrating an advanced knowledge of astronomy and geometry on the part of its Neolithic builders.

This year, more than 24,000 people applied to be able to witness the winter solstice at Newgrange although only 20 people can fit inside the 19 metre long chamber. The successful applicants were selected by lottery.

Here are some images of the winter solstice event taken at Newgrange on December 22nd, 2002.


The winter solstice sunrise behind a standing stone, photographed from the entrance of the passage tomb at Newgrange.


A rainbow appeared just before the sun shone directly on the mound.



And more images as sunlight enters the Newgrange passage. [link]

THE BEAM OF LIGHT

At dawn on Winter Solstice every year, just after 9am, the sun begins to rise across the Boyne Valley from Newgrange over a hill known locally as Red Mountain. Given the right weather conditions, the event is spectacular.

At four and a half minutes past nine, the light from the rising sun strikes the front of Newgrange, and enters into the passage through the roofbox which was specially designed to capture the rays of the sun.

For the following fourteen minutes, the beam of light stretches into the passage of Newgrange and on into the central chamber, where, in Neolithic times, it illuminated the rear stone of the central recess of the chamber. With simple stone technology, these wonderful people captured a very significant astronomical and calendrical moment in the most spectacular way.

This photograph (above) clearly shows the event as it happens viewed from the entrance to the passage. The sunlight appears to be split into two beams - a higher beam and a lower beam. This is in fact true, the lower beam being formed by the doorway to the passage. It is the light which enters through the roofbox, however, which reaches the central chamber. The beam is roughly illustrated in the image on the right.

The dawn of December 21, 1999 was a beautiful one. A large crowd of onlookers was present at Newgrange for the unofficial dawn of the new Millennium. This modern pilgrimage by over 150 people echoes ancient ritual activity which would have occurred at the mound 5,000 years ago.

A COSMIC MOMENT

For a very short time, the beam of sunlight enters the chamber, illuminating the floor. It is a narrow beam, only 34cm wide at the entrance and narrower in the chamber. Originally, the beam would have struck the rear chamber orthostat (C8) and, possibly, would have been reflected onto another chamber stone, C10, which contains the famous triple spiral, pictured below. After just 14 minutes, the shaft of light disappears and once again the chamber returns to darkness.
The triple spiral design on C10.
The beam of light in the Newgrange chamber.