{"id":244877,"date":"2025-12-21T21:05:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T21:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/244877\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T21:05:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T21:05:16","slug":"irish-observatory-continues-centuries-old-solstice-tradition-as-shortest-day-marked-in-northern-hemisphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/244877\/","title":{"rendered":"Irish observatory continues centuries-old solstice tradition as shortest day marked in northern hemisphere"},"content":{"rendered":"

It comes this year as the historic Armagh Observatory is part of a bid for Unesco World Heritage status, recognising Ireland\u2019s central role in a formative period of astronomical history.<\/p>\n

The winter solstice, at 3.03pm on Sunday, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

It is described as a precise astronomical moment when the sun reaches its lowest path across the sky, the place where the sun rises and sets on the horizon reaches its most southerly point this day.<\/p>\n

\"Winter<\/p>\n

Winter solstice is marked at Navan Fort on December 21 2024 (Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council\/PA)<\/p>\n

It marks a natural turning point in the year from which point daylight begins to slowly return, a change that has long symbolised renewal and continuity.<\/p>\n

The solstice sees people gather at sites across Ireland to mark the moment, including the observatory as well as nearby ancient site Navan Centre and Fort.<\/p>\n

Professor Michael Burton, director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, said this annual journey of the sun across our sky, between the extremes of the summer and winter solstices, is marked by the Stone Circle on the Hill of Infinity at the site.<\/p>\n

He said the solstice is viewed through both a scientific lens and an appreciation of humanity\u2019s enduring connection to the sky at the observatory, which is one of Ireland\u2019s oldest astronomical institutions from where the night sky has been observed and recorded for more than two centuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe winter solstice occurs because Earth\u2019s axis, which is tilted at 23.5 degrees to the plane of the Earth\u2019s orbit around the sun, leans furthest away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere on this day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile winter nights grow colder, they also offer some of the clearest and most striking views of the night sky, with constellations such as Orion and Taurus dominating December evenings, and stars like Aldebaran glowing low and red above the horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo by Phil Magowan<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWhat makes the winter solstice so compelling is that it is both exact and deeply familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt marks a precise turning point in Earth\u2019s journey around the sun, yet it has been recognised and marked by people for thousands of years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom this moment, the days begin to lengthen again, offering a quiet but powerful reminder that change is already under way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The observatory boasts historic instruments, including its three Grubb telescopes crafted by the Dublin-based Grubb family, which are described as standing as \u201clasting reminders of Ireland\u2019s contribution to the development of astronomy\u201d.<\/p>\n

The instruments are said to have helped place Armagh at the forefront of 19th century scientific discovery during what is widely regarded as the golden age of Irish astronomy.<\/p>\n

Now the observatory, alongside Dunsink Observatory in Dublin and Birr Castle Demesne \u2013 home to the Great Leviathan telescope \u2013 forms part of a collective application for Unesco World Heritage status, recognising Ireland\u2019s central role in this formative period of astronomical history.<\/p>\n

Prof Burton added: \u201cThe winter solstice is a perfect example of how a single scientific moment can carry meaning across centuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we work towards Unesco World Heritage recognition, it is important to remember that Armagh Observatory represents more than buildings or instruments \u2013 it reflects a long tradition of people observing the sky, asking questions, and sharing knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solstice connects that past with the present, reminding us that our fascination with the heavens is a story still unfolding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Events to mark the solstice have taken place in various locations at sunrise this morning, including at the Hill of Tara, at the Newgrange passage tomb, and at Stonehenge in Salisbury, Engliand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It comes this year as the historic Armagh Observatory is part of a bid for Unesco World Heritage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[18,19,17,112802,133,451],"class_list":{"0":"post-244877","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-press-association-pa","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-space"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115759594114732831","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}