 Newgrange Winter Solstice webcast |
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| Just before sunrise, the crowd waits in anticipation for the moment of sunrise. The cameras are in place, the VIPs are in the chamber and the world is watching. 300,000 people try to view the live webcast - the first time in history - showing the solstice phenomena live as it happens across the globe on the Heritage Ireland website. |
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| The morning's narrators - archaeoastronomers Tom Ray and Frank Prendergast and Leontia Lenehan from the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre - keep the web audience informed about what they're seeing. |
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| Mist clings to the valley of the Boyne as the sun rises off the hill of Red Mountain. A lone observer watches the dawn from Mound A down in the valley. |
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| The moment of dawn arrives. The sun announces itself on the shortest day of the year. |
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| The giant standing stone in front of Newgrange appears to "cup" the sun as it rises. |
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| Another standing stone stands alone as the rising sun warms the valley below. |
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| For the first time ever, observers situated outside the mound get to see what's going on inside, thanks to the big screen. |
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| A beautiful, bright, crisp, cold dawn greets the sun for the Winter Solstice. People celebrated this event at this site more than 5,000 years ago, |
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| A large audience - both those present and those watching on the internet - got a lovely treat on a cloud-free morning. Click on the above image to see a larger version. |
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| Red Mountain glows in the dawn light. Moments like this make the early rise worthwhile. |
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