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.
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.
Happy mistYmuse ist day, as the m departs with only 3 days to go until mistYmuse Y day; this isn’t a mystery worthy of Scooby; and the greenYgrey world solstice day!
This is my contribution to amateur astronomy; the old way; showing how the sunrise (really: our first view of the sun) has started its journey back up the eastern horizon, from its most southerly midwinter point around December 21st (it was cloudy then, so the middle photo is from the 22nd).
The top photo is from November 27th, and the bottom yesterday, both 25/26 days either side of the middle one on December 22nd. In the middle midwinter one, the sun rises in the v, to the right of the big tree, while in the other two it rises to the left of the big tree.
To my brain, it still seems strange that the sun goes back up the eastern horizon, even though we’re going around the sun in a circle (now at about 11 o’clock according to an orrery, compared to 1 o’clock in November):
But, thinking about it, that’s because my brain is still thinking of the humanistic sun ‘rise’, rather than the heliocentric our ‘first view of the sun’. ‘Sunrise’ is of course because of our planet’s spin each ‘day’, rather than our orbit around the sun, which gives us our ‘year’ and ‘seasons’.
The sunrise travelling back up the ‘eastern horizon’ is really that we see it earlier in the northern hemisphere as our planet’s stationary axis tilt is pointing more towards the sun for half of the orbit (measured in our calendar as from December to June, with equal half way with the southern hemisphere in March and September).
The orrery shows the norther hemisphere’s six months of more sunlight are when Earth is ‘south’ of the sun, which makes sense when you think about it (not at first for me!), as we are tipped towards the sun then.
Milky Way View
Another way to check this, and get a better idea of how Earth’s 23.4/5 axis tilt and solar orbit directs our view and time, is to look out from the sun, into space.
Our planet and solar system is in the west of our Milky Way galaxy.
So, sometimes here on Earth, we have a clear view of most of the Milky Way, and other times we’re on the other side of the sun for the best views (of more of the galaxy). As shown on that website, our best views of the Milky Way are just coming up, from February to October, when we’ll be on the inside of the sun during our solar system (in the above image at about 6/7 o’clock) orbit for closer dark sky views of the centre of our galaxy.
That’s why different constellations are visible at different times of the year, and in different parts of the sky. Ursa Major looked quite low in the northern sky during the summer when I used it to see comet neowise, and now it looks directly above us.
That’s because Earth’s position to it has changed, rather than the ‘night sky’ changing. And the same is true of the ‘sunrise’.
Sorry, if the above dragged on a bit, but I’m still working it out myself too!!
Comparing today and Monday’s photos you can see how the sun has moved north on the horizon, as it appears to us, into the centre of the two buildings it was previously to the right of, as we look at them; but apparently it’s because of our Earth’s axis tilt and orbit of the sun allowing us to see it earlier: ten minutes earlier, from 06.51 to 06.41.
Hi, it’s Andy Wolfhol, creator extraordinaire at the Greenygrey. There were no new medals for Team GG yesterday, but Team GB got a silver in the equestrian team event. I was captivated by the layout of the jumps, with the fences supported by British landmarks, such as Trafalgar Square lions (we’d have preferred wolves of course!) and postboxes.
Stonehenge at Olympics 2012
My favourite jump display was the triple Stonehenge themed jumps, which not only brought a little bit of the ancient world to the games, but also looked very greenygrey, as shown in this still from the BBC highlights:
Hi, it’s Andy Wolfhol, I was thrilled to see at least two cases of greenygreyism in the BBC’s Imagine documentary on the Glasgow art scene.
David Shrigley calls Glasgow Weather Existentialist
In the 23rd minute of the documentary, David Shrigley described the Glasgow weather as existentialist, as you see so little of the sun you forget it’s there.
There were a few trees around to add the green for the Greenygrey combo. Moreover, the sun was shining at the time, and the presenter Alan Yentob said it does make the light look great at times like that.
Jeremy Deller‘s Stonehenge Creation
The documentary also showed the Stonehenge bouncy castle we previously reported here at the Greenygrey in the 59th minute of the 63, and interviewed its creator, Jeremy Deller.
Deller is actually based in London, but likes the vibrant Glasgow arts scene.
Hi, it’s Martin ‘Werewolfie’ Adams, sports correspondent at the Greenygrey. I’m proud to announce that the Greenygrey will be represented at the London Olympics 2012, after a greenygrey Stonehenge bouncy castle has been commissioned. It was fittingly unveiled on a green field under grey skies.
Image from BBC news.
Orkney Theory Mirrors Stonehenge
It is thought that the Stones of Stenness was a temple for the living, and The Ring of Brodgar was a temple for the dead, with the Ness of Brodgar providing a spiritual cleansing portal on the pathway between the two stone circles. The connecting strip of land is shown in the above map copied from the Orkney Jar website.
The Greenygrey Evidence
Now, the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: the Greenygrey evidence. When they made a graphic out of the evidence unearthed so far it made the area look even more greenygrey, with the temple complex made up of more stone than there was at Stonehenge sitting majestically on a green field promontory dividing the sea; the water probably divides its time between being grey and blue.
Thanks to the Norfolk poets for their three poems this week, and there will be more from them in a little while. Also, thanks to Sarah James, who reviewed today’s poem and offered her advice on its improvement (only one word needed changing, mind!)
For the rest of this week the site will be finishing off the Romantic art interpretations with five more poems for five paintings by the same five artists as appeared in the first half of the series.
John Constable and Stonehenge
Explanation and Structure
We start today with John Constable’s Stonehenge, which impressively captures the haunting spirituality of the location.
The poem tries to join in with the timeless contemplation portrayed in the image.
The poem is a simple but accurate mirror, with a line-word structure of
5-7-5-6-5-7-5. The line length and punctuation also mirror pretty well.
I used an article on stones to find out their names.
Hope you enjoy it, and its quite timely what with the longest day only weeks away. Cheers!
The Poem
Barren fields, hills of life…
giving fallen Station stones and Aubrey holes
people who sit and ponder
Sarsen trilithon: three stones standing proud
through time wind and rain
how magical Blue stones and Horseshoe setting
Bring stories, of past ages…
The Painting
Copied from the British Museum website.
mistYmuse 