Another winter solstice is upon us. To mark this significant occasion, we have gathered several images featuring mystical Newgrange in Ireland.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, Newgrange is a neolithic temple built in Ireland thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. An aerial view of Newgrange is shown in the image to the left.
The circular, mound structure has an inner chamber in cruciform shape that aligns to the sunrise of the winter solstice. At sunrise, a beam of sunlight enters a part of the structure known as the “roof box.” For about 17 minutes - on the darkest day of the year - sunlight dramatically illuminates the otherwise darkened inner chamber, as shown in the diagram below:
Admission to Newgrange for the winter solstice event is determined by lottery - 50 names are drawn by local schoolchildren from applications submitted by those wishing to attend the winter solstice events. For the 2013 winter solstice events, 29,503 applications were received.
The remaining images depict the interior of Newgrange when it is illuminated at the winter solstice sunrise to give you some idea of the mystic and mysterious quality of this ancient temple.
We hope you have enjoyed these images. Happy winter solstice!
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