SOLSTICE! Wake up you Sleepyhead! Rub your eyes! Get out of bed!

Oh yes please click for larger!

I caught Solstice Sunrise at the Sunwheel in 2007 (I really don't like waking up to see the sunrise; usually when I see the Dawn I am catching it at the end of a really rowdy all-night party), and it was Beyond Charming.

The drive to the Sunwheel had clear skies, and Jupiter was HUGE and BRILLIANT as the Morning Star. (I didn't know it was Jupiter, but the young astrophysicist host did.)

So MAYBE I'll catch it again. Or MAYBE I'll catch the SUNSET gathering, which, for some mysterious reason, is always much better attended.

But the images above -- THIS is the one I really want to see!

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SUMMER SOLSTICE 2009
Sunrise and Sunset Gatherings
at the SUNWHEEL

University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts USA

.................sunrise....sunset ==================================
Sunday 21 June.....05:00.....19:30
Monday 22 June.......EDT.......EDT ==================================

The public is invited to witness the passing of the seasons by joining Dr. Judith Young of the U-Mass Department of Astronomy to watch the Sun rise and set over the tall standing stones in the U-Mass Sunwheel for the Summer Solstice of 2009.

The sunrise and sunset events will be held on both Sunday & Monday, 21 and 22 June 2009. Visitors for the sunrise viewing should arrive at 5:00 a.m., and visitors for the sunset viewing should arrive at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

These gatherings celebrate the Solstice, International Year of Astronomy, and 11 years of Sunwheel seasonal events for the public, which have attracted over 10,000 visitors.

This year, the instant of the Summer Solstice is

01:46 a.m. EDT
Sunday 21 June

For those interested in learning about the sky, there will be a presentation which will include the significance of the solstices & equinoxes, the cause of the seasons and phases of the Moon, the story of building the Sunwheel, and discussion of other calendar sites around the world, including Stonehenge & Callanish.

There will also be an explanation of the Moon's 18.6-year cycle, also called the Major Lunar Standstill. Bring your questions, your curiosity, and be prepared for cool temperatures and wet ground.

The gatherings typically last 1 hour, and are held in all weather except rain.

Donation: A $3 donation is requested to help with the cost of the additional sitework and future events which are planned. Sunwheel T-shirts & sweatshirts will also be available for purchase.

The UMass Sunwheel is located south of McGuirk Alumni Stadium, just off Rocky Hill Road. The Sunwheel can easily be reached from the center of Amherst, following Amity Street to the west, on the right hand side of the road about 1/4 mile after crossing University Drive.

* more information on the U-Mass Sunwheel

* more information on the Moon's 18.6-year cycle

* information on other programs offered by Dr. Judith Young

The Sunwheel is a project conceived by Dr. Judith S. Young, Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

e-mail: Judith Young at young@astro.umass.edu

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Tomorrow
from the musical comedy "Annie"
(sung by little girl in whiney, annoying voice)

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck in a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,


Oh
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow!
Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!