Thousands gathered, virtually and physically, to witness the sunrise at Stonehenge in Wiltshire this morning for winter solstice. 

Today's sunrise was live streamed on Facebook from the ancient monument by English Heritage for the world to celebrate the shortest day of the year.

The livestream started at 7.25am, and the sunrise started at around 8am. 

Winter solstice has a particularly special meaning to the Pagan and Druid communities who gather at the prehistoric monument to celebrate the sunrise

Pagan leader Arthur Pendragon said: "It is the most important day of the year for us because it welcomes in the new sun."

English Heritage's Jennifer Davies said, "It was lovely to reach the milestone of Winter Solstice, with the hope it brings of knowing the days are now getting longer, a feeling of optimism shared at this time of year for millennia."

National Highways have warned of heavy traffic on the A303 in the area due to the event.

Why was winter solstice celebrated at Stonehenge on December 22? 

The winter solstice occurs each year when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the Sun.

This gives us the fewest hours of sunlight, and therefore the shortest day of the year.

Many people believe that the Winter Solstice always falls on 21 December, but because of a mismatch between the calendar and solar year, the December solstice is not fixed to a specific date.

This year, based on advice from the druid and pagan communities, the Solstice is being mark at Stonehenge today, December 22 - the first sunrise following the astronomical solstice which occurs after sunset the previous day.

This is also when the days begin to get longer again. 

Stonehenge is carefully aligned by its Neolithic creators on a sight line that points to the Winter Solstice sunset rather than sunrise. 

Winter Solstice sunrise online 

How to find out more

Visit the English Heritage website for more. 

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