Michael Binkley Experiences Solstice 2018 at Stonehenge

I had the great privilege to be invited by our UK host, Zoe to join her and her friend, Catherine to attend Summer Solstice at Stonehenge.

I have long been interested in Stonehenge and its mysterious construction over 3,000 years ago  to take advantage of celestial events, such as the solstices and equinoxes. The public is forbidden to go near the stones now, with the exception of these four annual events.

I first saw Stonehenge in 2004 and was disappointed to discover I could not go up and touch the Sarsen bluestones. So I jumped at the chance to go to Summer Solstice. Being a stone sculptor for the past (almost) 40 years also made this experience all the more special.

To recap – on Jun 21, the sun rises off the tip of the Heal Stone, situated about 200 feet to the east of the outer stone circle and will be centred directly in the middle arch of the three remaining outer arches of Stonehenge. Unfortunately, I was blind to my position, due to the crowd and I misjudged where I was standing to record the perfect Solstice sunrise. But my camera did pick up a nice surprise.

It was nonetheless a wonderful experience. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.