Looking to escape the virtual hellscape that is the internet and get back in touch with the rhythms of nature? I can’t really help you, but this year you can watch a livestream of the the winter solstice at Newgrange, an unfathomably ancient prehistoric site in Ireland.
That’s according to RTE. Likely older than Stonehenge, the opening of this enclosed, mound-like structure is designed so that as the sun dawns on the morning of the winter solstice, light shoots down a tiny, cramped passage at a perfect angle to light an interior chamber. It’s a feat of incredible engineering when you consider that it’s something like five thousand years old. How often do you even hang a shelf?
Every year there’s a lottery to allow a few people to see this in person, but with 32,522 entries, you’ve got precious little chance of attending. Hence, the livestream, on the 50th anniversary of archeologist Dr Michael J O’Kelly rediscovering the alignment. The event begins 8:30 in the morning Irish time. So if you find yourself awake in the wee hours of the American morning, here’s the livestream. Enjoy.