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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Sunrise Solstice at Stonehenge

Explanation: Today the Sun reaches its northernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice , the date traditionally marks a change of seasons -- from spring to summer in Earth 's Northern Hemisphere and from fall to winter in Earth's Southern Hemisphere . The above image was taken during the week of the 2008 summer solstice at Stonehenge in United Kingdom , and captures a picturesque sunrise involving fog, trees, clouds, stones placed about 4,500 years ago, and a 5 billion year old large glowing orb . Even given the precession of the Earth's rotational axis over the millennia, the Sun continues to rise over Stonehenge in an astronomically significant way .

Date June 21, 2010
Credit Credit & Copyright: Max Alexander , STFC , SPL
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.