With the first of September marking the meteorological start of the season, this Saturday Glen Innes and its Australian Standing Stones will be marking the astronomical season of spring, known as the equinox.
It is at the equinoxes each year when the sun rises directly from the east, setting directly to the west. The configuration of the Standing Stones, which have stood proudly above Glen Innes since 1992, are such that their East and West Stones combine with the central Australis Stone to form the focal point for such equinox solar alignments.
Judi Toms is Chair of the Australian Standing Stones Management Board, a volunteer-led community committee. She explained the most significant thing about sunrise and sunset on the spring equinox is the precision of the sun on the stone markers.
“There are a number of triangular markers on the Standing Stones grounds which demark the shadows of the Stones at solar noon throughout the year.”
“Sunrise on the equinox is directly east of the eastern Cardinal Stone. When the sun sets it is directly west of the western Cardinal Stone.”
There are celebrations planned for the Equinox at sunrise, solar noon and sunset, with the Standing Stones management committee encouraging all interested in astronomy to attend. The main celebration is set for solar noon when the noonday shadow from the sun aligns with the Stones’ sundial ground plaque.
A lone piper will usher in the day and see it out again, while experts will be on hand to explain solar noon and the changing of the seasons. A raffle will also be on offer to those in attendance.
People throughout history and across cultures have always noted the passing of the sun and the changing of the seasons.
“The Celts had a strong sense of celebration when it came to ‘moving back into the light’ – that is, the lighter half of the year, which was a time for getting together to celebrate and start planting and harvesting crops,” Judi said.
Lunch is available to purchase from the nearby Crofter’s Cottage, where it’s rumoured the country’s best coffee is made, charged by the sun and restoring weary travellers to full energy.
The Spring, or Vernal, Equinox is the time of year when earth’s days last as long as its nights. With the equinox comes the promise of warmer temperatures as days begin to run longer than nights, allowing the heat of the sun to linger more on the surface of our wide, brown land.
“The colours of a sunset – any sunset – at the Stones are quite brilliant,” Judi said.
KEY EVENT DETAILS:
- Sunrise: Arrive at 5:20am for a 5:43am sunrise ceremony
- Solar Noon: Arrive at 11:20am for Solar Noon at 11:46am. Experts will be on hand to discuss the astronomical significance of the spring equinox.
- Sunset: Arrive at 5:20pm for a 5:48pm ceremony
- A lone bagpiper will be present at all three ceremonies
For more information and updates, follow the Australian Standing Stones National Celtic Monument on Facebook via www.facebook.com/australianstandingstones
Top image: The ground marker with which the Standing Stones’ shadow will align with on Saturday to mark the spring equinox. Credit: @thejimclasshero
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