A weather and forecast conjunction alignment provided a cloudless sky for the first Kirkstallhenge unveiling, as the last post in the mistYmuse 20/21 encores.
The sunrise was a bit more northern than I thought, rising behind the second building, but that provided a nice shot as our planet span around a bit more, positioning our view of the sun between the buildings.
You’ve been a great crowd, and I’m sure the ancestors would be proud.
This morning’s sunrise (really: our first sight of it) shows it’s nearly reached the first of two buildings. It should be in the middle of them in about three days, judging from how its moved from the two trees six days ago:
If there is an alignment of weather and awakening I hope to witness it, and bring you some photos…
Yesterday’s sunrise at 6.30 was a greenYgrey one:
Compared to Week and Fortnight Earlier
The sunrise (really: our first view of the sun as our planet spins) has now reached the last landmark on the Leeds panorama; three university buildings in the north of the city), a little more north than March 6th (taken last year: cranes to the north now gone. In this year’s photos, the tree has now grown to block that gap where sun rising!):
And a lot more than February 28th this year:
A year ago yesterday the photos below were taken, and comparing them to photos earlier in the week started the ancient astronomical angle to the mistYmuse.
The sunrise has now passed the pylon, and rises behind it.
This morning’s sunrise, compared to the last one photographed, on January 31st:
The sun is in a similar position to October 25th, mistYmuse false dawn week, just before the hour went back to end BST:
It’ll probably rise across the top like that in a couple of days.
Midwinter solstice day is a rainy one here: no sunrise gap or cloud silver lining! It doesn’t really matter if you’re just appreciating the views at their most ideal sunrise times for mistYmuse. It only matters if you’ve just got this day to appreciate them, and in the old days particularly if you’ve got a temple built for such days, where the sun would enter a passageway after rising/setting on a solstice or equinox.
Yesterday was much better than expected, with the sun seeming to explode into light like a supernova in space or a lighthouse on Earth. Funnily enough, I’d been discussing lighthouses the previous day on another site (Willow Croft), and had been thinking the revolving light is my favourite part of them. Yesterday’s sunrise light wasn’t revolving, but its looks are similar.
The sky also cleared in the evening so the conjunction was visible. It was good to see for history, but wasn’t as spectacular as earlier in the year for me, when it was nearer, bigger and brighter. Mars is quite sparkly now overhead, while the Orion constellation is also big and bright.
Anyway, midwinter is mostly a celebration of endurance and passing, that winter is half over, and it will start getting lighter now. I hope the first month of mistYmuse has helped you reach this point happily, and that you can now look forward to spring thinking it isn’t too far away, with Christmas timed well to celebrate the end of the first half.
The British sun can be a bit of a diva star, so I didn’t know if it’d turn up for the mistYmuse (most ideal sunrise times – midwinter until spring equinox) 20/21 opening ceremony today, starting four months of sky fun (probably the longest festival in the world!?)… but it did!
I was reminded of this sunshine on Earth video recently, so thought it was a fitting opening show, after male acts opened and closed last year’s mYm 19/20!
mistYmuse 