How to Watch Winter Solstice 2021 Live Online From Stonehenge

Winter Solstice 2021

The winter solstice is approaching, and to commemorate the occasion, you can see the sunrise above England’s iconic Stonehenge archaeological site.

Stonehenge is a Late Neolithic stone structure built some 4,500 years ago in Wiltshire, in the southwest of the UK, by farmers and herders.

For thousands of years, people have celebrated solstices at the famed archaeological site in southwestern England, and these celebrations have continued to this day—barring disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In truth, many modern-day pagans still value such practices spiritually.

English Heritage, the nonprofit that oversees the monument, will broadcast a Livestream to commemorate the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice in 2021, much as it did in 2020.

When people talk about the winter solstice, they usually mean a whole day. This astronomical event, however, occurs at a definite point in time—the time of year when the Earth’s the North Pole is furthest away from the sun.

On Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 10:58 a.m. ET, or 7:58 a.m. PT, the winter solstice will occur.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is the shortest day of the year and the start of astronomical winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the day of the December solstice features the fewest daylight hours and the longest night.

The dawn on the morning of December 22 will be live-streamed by English Heritage. This is due to the fact that the sunrise immediately following the winter solstice—when the days begin to become longer—is historically marked at Stonehenge.

Visit the official Stonehenge or English Heritage Facebook pages, as well as the English Heritage YouTube and Instagram channels, to see the dawn.

On December 22, the sunrise in the United Kingdom will be around 8:09 a.m. local time, which is 3:09 a.m. ET or 12:09 a.m. PT. The coverage will begin 45 minutes before sunrise and last for the same length of time afterward.

You don’t have to be in the United Kingdom to view the coverage, which is free—though you may support English Heritage’s work by making a gift.

If you can’t make it to the live event, English Heritage will save the film to its Facebook page so you may watch it later.

The stones at the monument, according to English Heritage archaeologist Susan Greaney, are arranged in such a way that they frame the sunrise in midsummer and the sunset in midwinter.

“You won’t miss a second of this special occasion wherever you are in the world,” English Heritage stated in a statement. “Set to a soothing backdrop, our cameras will catch the best views of Stonehenge, allowing you to connect with this spiritual site from the comfort of your own home.”