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Newgrange Solstice - 22nd December 2009

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice takes place either on the 21st or 22nd of December. At sunrise on these shortest days of the year, a remarkable man-made phenomenon unfolds at Newgrange, where, for a span of 17 minutes, sunlight dramatically bathes the chamber of this ancient monument.

Enjoy this chronological photographic essay of the Winter Solstice at Newgrange on 22nd December 2009.

Silhouetted standing stone at sunrise above the Boyne Valley fields and a bright horizon. 8:46am - A promising horizon viewed from the entrance to Newgrange over a standing stone
Winter-clad visitors gathered before the Newgrange white quartz entrance at sunrise. 8:50am - Solstice watchers waiting for the sun to rise over Red Mountain
Silhouetted Great Circle orthostat at Newgrange with a sunrise starburst behind its peak. 8:54am - Sunrise viewed from the entrance to Newgrange over a standing stone
Kerbstone 1 with triple spiral carvings before the Newgrange entrance, roofbox and quartz facade. 8:56am - Beam of light shining through the roofbox, the sunbeam reaches the chamber at 8:58am
Newgrange at dawn with white quartz wall, Kerbstone 1, roofbox and Great Circle orthostats on frosty grass. 8:59am - The white quartz glows in the sunlight
Newgrange white quartz facade with roofbox, Kerbstone 1 and visitors on frosty grass at dawn. 8:59am - The sunbeam is illuminating the chamber through the 19 metre passage
Newgrange on a frosty morning with white quartz facade, standing stones in the foreground and visitors gathered at the entrance 9:00am - Perfect conditions for the Solstice Lottery winners inside the Newgrange chamber
Kerbstone 1 with triple spiral and lozenge carvings at the Newgrange entrance and roofbox above. 9:04am - It's the sunbeam from the roofbox above the passage that reaches the chamber
Visitors gathered before the Newgrange white quartz entrance and Kerbstone 1 at winter sunrise. 9:09am - Magnificent glow from the winter sunrise at Newgrange
Warm sunrise light along the Newgrange entrance passage between shadowed orthostats. 9:10am - It's the higher sunbeam from the Roofbox that illuminates the chamber inside Newgrange
Newgrange roofbox and entrance lintel framed by white quartz sections in warm low sunlight. 9:12am - The Roofbox over the entrance where the solstice sun is beamed to the chamber
Newgrange entrance with white quartz facade, kerbstones and wooden stairs, crowd gathered on frosty grass beside a standing stone 9:14am - A long shadow from a Standing Stone
Tourists waiting on the path before the Newgrange entrance with white quartz wall, kerbstones and grassy mound under sunny skies 9:17am - Waiting patiently for the Solstice Lottery winners to exit the chamber
Newgrange entrance with Orthostat L1 and R1, roofbox framed by white quartz in warm sunlight. 9:32am - The sunbeam has left the chamber but is still in the passage. There is a 15 minute gap since the last photograph because I was inside the chamber with the group that had been waiting patiently at the entrance
Winter solstice morning with a few visitors and staff at the Newgrange entrance, Kerbstone 1 and standing orthostats 9:36am - Just a few stragglers and staff at the Newgrange entrance
Kerbstone 1 with triple spiral and lozenge carvings before the Newgrange entrance, roof box and white quartz facade 9:38am - Time to make way for the regular guided tours
European robin perched on a wooden post before large kerbstones and the white quartz wall at Newgrange 9:39am - A Robin at the Newgrange entrance
Kerbstone 1 with triple spiral and lozenge carvings at the Newgrange entrance, roof box and white quartz wall under clear blue sky 9:41am - The shadow from the Standing Stone points to the Newgrange entrance
European robin perched on a dark grey kerbstone in front of the white quartz and granite cobble wall at Newgrange 9:43am - As we leave Newgrange the Robin poses for a final photo.

Newgrange Winter Solstice Archive

Newgrange roofbox above the entrance lintel, with lozenge carvings on the roofbox lintel stone.

Setting Sun Alignments

The Winter Solstice Setting Sun illuminates the chamber at the nearby Dowth mound and at the cairn on Slieve Gullion in Co. Armagh.

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