Watch the Summer Solstice sunrise at Stonehenge via livestream

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You can watch the Summer Solstice sunrise from Stonehenge as it famously aligns between the stones rising above the horizon via live stream this year.

According to NASA, “Earth’s axis is always tilted 23.5˚ with respect to the Sun. Today, the north pole is tipped toward the Sun, and the south pole is tipped away from the Sun. The northern summer solstice is an instant in time when the north pole of the Earth points more directly toward the Sun than at any other time of the year.”

Stonehenge’s layout was built in relation to the position of the sun during the year, particularly the summer and winter solstice. According to English Heritage, “The whole layout of Stonehenge is therefore positioned in relation to the solstices, or the extreme limits of the sun’s movement; the word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”). The solstice axis is also marked by the Station Stones which are positioned in a rectangle on the edge of the surrounding circular ditch, with the short sides of the rectangle on the same alignment as the sarsen stones.”

Most years large crowds gather at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice to watch the sunrise behind the heel stone, scattering rays of light through the center of the monument. Because of the Coronavirus, Stonehenge is closed, but SkyWatch is providing a live stream of the day from 6:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday through Sunday’s sunrise there around midnight our time.

The source of the livestream is through SkyScape, which you can always see the skies about Stonehenge by clicking here.