Twice a year in late March and September a rather special solar phenomena takes place – the equinox. On the equinox our planet’s equator passes the center of the sun at just the right angle to ensure day and night are the same lengths. Fancy, huh?! To mark this marvelous astrological occasion, we’ve found 10 places around the world where our ancestors paid homage to our very own special star and where the sun aligns to magical effect…
Abu Simbel, Egypt
Built by Ramses II between 1279 and 1213 BC to mark his victory in Nubia, the two giant stone temples at Abu Simbel stand as an impressive monument to the King and his Queen Nefertari. Despite being raised 984 feet from its original setting to allow for construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, every year on Feb. 21 (the king’s birthday) and Oct. 22 (the date of his coronation) the sun shines directly onto the Holiest of Holies – the statues of three gods and King Ramses II – within the Great Temple.
Feature Image (Ring of Brodgar, Scotland) by Kristel Jeuring
