June 21, 2010
The universe has spent billions of years making things that shine. On your birthday, we celebrate one of its quieter masterpieces.
Sunrise Solstice at Stonehenge
Birthday · June 21, 2010
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APOD published June 21, 2010. Credit: Max Alexander, STFC, SPL. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Today the Sun reaches its northernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice, the date traditionally marks a change of seasons -- from spring to summer in Earth's Northern Hemisphere and from fall to winter in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. The above image was taken during the week of the 2008 summer solstice at Stonehenge in United Kingdom, and captures a picturesque sunrise involving fog, trees, clouds, stones placed about 4,500 years ago, and a 5 billion year old large glowing orb. Even given the precession of the Earth's rotational axis over the millennia, the Sun continues to rise over Stonehenge in an astronomically significant way.
Image credit: Max Alexander, STFC, SPL