December 20, 2021
Tomorrow marks the first day of winter or what is called the winter solstice. This is when the Sun appears lowest in the sky. From St. Louis, the solar altitude of the Sun at local noon on the winter solstice will be about 27.9°.
The images show the Sun at local or solar noon on the first days of summer, fall, winter and spring. All images were taken from the same location at local noon. Archaeological sites such as Stonehenge in England and Woodhenge at Cahokia Mounds, observed similar changes in the position of the Sun. Instead of local noon, those ancient sites observed where the Sun appeared to rise. Image credit: Eric Gustafson.
