Winter Solstice at the UMass Sunwheel
Please note: The previously listed dates of December 20 and 21 for this event were incorrect. December 21 and 22 are the correct dates.
Members of the general public and the University community are invited to join Dr. Judith Young of the U.Mass. Dept. of Astronomy to watch the Sunrise and set over the tall standing stones in the U.Mass. Sunwheel for the winter solstice. This is when the Sun is at its most southerly position in rising and setting. Sunrise and sunset gatherings will be held on both
Wednesday and Thursday, December 21 & 22.
Visitors for the winter solstice sunrise viewing should arrive at 7:00 a.m. and visitors for the sunset viewing should arrive by 3:30 p.m. For those interested in learning about the sky, there will be a presentation which will include the cause of the seasons, the Sun's path in the sky, the phases of the
Moon, and the story of building the U.Mass. Sunwheel. Bring your questions, your camera, your curiosity, and dress VERY warmly. A $3 donation is requested to help cover the cost of additional stonework for the Sunwheel.
The calendars list Dec. 21, 2005 as the day of the winter solstice, with the exact instant of solstice being 1:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The word solstice means 'standstill', and refers to the fact that the rising and setting location of the Sun stays relatively fixed on the horizon for almost 2 weeks around solstice, with Dec. 21 in the middle. The astronomical cause of the Sun's 'standstill' is one of the topics which will be explained during the Sunwheel gatherings, along with the 18.6-year cycle of the Moon. Skywatchers will have a treat in store with
the full Moon of Dec. 15, as the Moon reaches the peak of its 18.6-year cycle, when the full Moon rises and sets over the northern moonrise and northern moonset stones in the Sunwheel. At midnight, the December 15 full Moon will be noticeably high in the sky, higher than the summer Sun
ever gets. Although the Moon will not be quite as far North on Dec. 14, the forecast for that day is better, and the high Moon will still be noticeable. For more information on the Moon's 18.6-year cycle see
http://www.astro.umass.edu/~young/moonteaching.html.
Directions & Parking
The UMass Sunwheel is located south of Alumni Stadium, just off Rocky Hill Road. It can be reached from the center of Amherst, following Amity St. to the west. After crossing University Dr. at the light, continue on Rocky Hill Rd. for about 1/4 mile, and make your first right onto Stadium Dr.