SUMMER SOLSTICE SUSSEX ENGLAND @ HERSTMONCEUX MUSEUM IN LIME PARK

SUMMER SOLSTICE @ HERSTMONCEUX 2014

A rare surviving wooden building in the heart of the Sussex countryside

SUNRISE - June 21 2014, 5:00am on the morning of a fabulous summer dawn. All over this island Britons were witnessing the same sun reflecting off buildings an orange glow. Possibly, this is the last time anyone will see this view across the public footpaths to the AONB across the A271, because a planning application dated January 2015 is seeking permission to build across the vista.

The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of a planet's semi-axis, in either the northern or the southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star (sun) that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the sun is 23° 26'. This happens twice each year, at which times the sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or the south pole.

The summer solstice occurs during a hemisphere's summer. This is the northern solstice in the northern hemisphere and the southern solstice in the southern hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.

When on a geographic pole, the sun reaches its greatest height, the moment of solstice, it can be noon only along that longitude which at that moment lies in the direction of the sun from the pole. For other longitudes, it is not noon. Noon has either passed or has yet to come. Hence the notion of a solstice day is useful. The term is colloquially used like midsummer to refer to the day on which solstice occurs. The summer solstice day has the longest period of daylight – except in the polar regions, where daylight is continuous, from a few days to six months around the summer solstice.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays, festivals, and rituals around that time with themes of religion or fertility.

Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

UT date and time of equinoxes and solstices on Earth
event	equinox		solstice		equinox		solstice
month	March		June		September		December
year
year	day	time	day	time	day	time	day	time
2010	20	17:32	21	11:28	23	03:09	21	23:38
2011	20	23:21	21	17:16	23	09:04	22	05:30
2012	20	05:14	20	23:09	22	14:49	21	11:12
2013	20	11:02	21	05:04	22	20:44	21	17:11
2014	20	16:57	21	10:51	23	02:29	21	23:03
2015	20	22:45	21	16:38	23	08:20	22	04:48
2016	20	04:30	20	22:34	22	14:21	21	10:44
2017	20	10:28	21	04:24	22	20:02	21	16:28
2018	20	16:15	21	10:07	23	01:54	21	22:23
2019	20	21:58	21	15:54	23	07:50	22	04:19
2020	20	03:50	20	21:44	22	13:31	21	10:02

OH MY! - Can this be real? I am seeing this with his own eyes, but still it seems surreal. To me the summer solstice is a time of mixed feelings, yes, a time for celebration - but also a time for reflection in the certain knowledge that the sun has reached its highest point this year and is set on a course downwards to the long, icy nights of winter. But there too are magical moments with the moon riding high above the horizon, sailing through the clouds and the dry air preparing for a crystal morning, as wondrous as the arctic snow. I live in paradise with every day bringing something new. How is the view for you? Happiness is a state of mind. Your state of mind depends on thy surroundings, so envelop yourself with the things you love.

LINKS

Summer_Solstice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice

East Sussex Archaeology

D ay out with the kids Museums-and-Galleries

http://www.sussex-southdowns-guide.com/sussex-museums

http://www.sussextourism.org.uk/

A mberley Museum

www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk

www.tangmere-museum.org.uk

www.seafordmuseum.co.uk

www.ryemuseum.co.uk

www.newhavenfort.org.uk

www.sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/lewes-castle

www.crawleymuseums.org

www.hmag.org.uk

Herstmonceux_museum

Arts Council England

Brighton Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums

Culture24

L ime_Park_Estates Limited

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

http://www.thekeep.info/

http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/environment/archaeology/default.htm

WINTER SUNRISE - January 2009. The snow has settled overnight over the hamlet of Flowers Green. Lime Park is a private estate off Church Road, on the way to Herstmonceux Castle and Observatory. The generating buildings seen here centre stage are a familiar feature in the landscape and have been so for over 100 years, probably longer that the spreading oak tree that completes this picture. You cannot see my footprints because they are not yet there. Many is the time I have given away my passage in this way.

RECORDING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE - How long these timbers will survive before they wither and crumble is not for me to venture. They should by now be dust save for the obstinacy of a part time occupant who saw fit to challenge the local halls of power, who thought they could hide the truth and from the truth, but in doing so deceived themselves and made the village fools.

A BRIGHT FUTURE - The sun rises over the Park in January of 2017. Frost on the Jeep in the foreground is vaporized, causing the roof of the vehicle to steam.

View Larger Map

LOCATION MAPS - (left) Lime Park, showing Herstmonceux Museum at the top, middle and The Old Rectory just below, and (right) a map of Herstmonceux village, showing that section on the left as a red square near the center of the map on the right.

WILTSHIRE - Druids corner, a mound of rustic rubble quizzically arranged draws revelers to the sun as witness to the very same happening as myself, though clearly not so content to see the rising in a local frame. The exercise no doubt did them good. I love a good party.

HERITAGE INDEX A - Z

AIR RAID SHELTER

AVIATION - EASTBOURNE

BARCLAYS BANKING LET DOWN - MISSING ACCOUNT MONEY

BARON CARL VON ROEMER & CHARLES de ROEMER

CAMPBELL HALL - BLUEBIRD ELECTRIC CARS

COAL BUNKER

GAS ENGINES - COAL CONVERSION, INTERNAL COMBUSTION

HX FIRE STATION

HX MUSEUM

HX SCIENCE EXHIBITS

OBSERVATORY - HERSTMONCEUX CASTLE