The equinox and solstice calculator will help you find out the equinox and solstice for any year between 1900 – 3000. Just type in the year, click the button and you’ll get the full data for that year.
Understanding Equinox and Solstice Calculator
The equinox and solstice calculator uses two main time formats:
Terrestrial Dynamical Time (TDT): This is a precise time scale used for astronomical calculations.
Civil Time: This is your local time zone, like UTC (similar to GMT) or your home time.
Accuracy: The calculations are accurate to within a minute between 1951 and 2050 for TDT.
Converting Between Times
The equinox and solstice calculator converts TDT to civil time using data from 1620 to 2002. For dates outside this range, estimations are used.
Local time zone conversion is done based on your computer’s settings. You can adjust these if needed.
Important Notes:
The day of the week might be inaccurate for dates before October 15th, 1582 (Julian calendar).
The calculations are not perfect and could be off by a few minutes.
Winter Solstice Blessings
The winter solstice, which falls around December 21st each year, marks the longest night and shortest day of the year. For centuries, cultures around the world have celebrated this event with rituals, gatherings, and blessings.
One common winter solstice blessing comes from Wiccan and pagan traditions. It involves lighting candles or a fire, and saying words to welcome back the light after the long winter nights. An example blessing is:
“The night is longest, but the days once more shall increase. We welcome the returning sun and give thanks for its light and warmth to come.”
Ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice with prayers to Saturn, the god of agriculture, during the Saturnalia festival. A modern blessing inspired by this could be:
“Blessed Saturn, bringer of light, we honor you this darkest night. May your light shine within our hearts, bringing new hope as the sun restarts its journey across the sky.”
Summer Solstice Tarot Spread
The summer solstice around June 21st celebrates the longest day and shortest night of the year. For tarot card readers, it marks a powerful time of growth, light, and expansiveness. One popular summer solstice tarot spread involves pulling six cards in the shape of a sunburst.
- Center card – Represents your true self and inner light
- Top card – Your goals, hopes and aspirations
- Bottom card – What grounds and nourishes you
- Left card – What to release to make room for growth
- Right card – New ideas, projects or directions
- Bottom left card – Challenges you may face
- Bottom right card – Advice and guidance
The cards map out a visual journey of growth, release, and manifesting your fullest self during this season of light.
Summer Solstice Prayer
The summer solstice celebrations of many cultures focused on prayers of thanks to the sun for providing light, heat and life. Here is an example summer solstice prayer:
“On this longest day of light, we give thanks for the radiant sun whose warmth nurtures all life on Earth. Your light guides us to create, to grow, and to find the courage to walk our own bright paths. We honor and welcome the life you bring.”
You can personalize this to thank the sun for specific fruits, crops or blessings it provides. Lighting a candle or being outside during the prayer can also connect you to the solstice energy.
Summer Solstice Symbols
Throughout history, the summer solstice has been associated with powerful symbols representing light, growth, fertility and the life-giving force of the sun. Some of the most common summer solstice symbols include:
The Sun – The longest day celebrates the sun’s peak strength and brightness in the sky. It represents power, constancy and life itself.
Sunflowers – With their vibrant petals opening towards the sun, sunflowers make a beautiful solstice decoration. They signify seeking light and unconditional love.
Sunwheels – Pagans crafted circular wheels or sunburst shapes to mimic the sun’s powerful rays. This ancient solar symbol represents unity and cyclical growth.
Oak Trees – The mighty oak was revered by ancient Celts and symbolizes power, endurance and spiritual nourishment.
Snakes and Lizards – As reptiles who bask in the sun’s heat, snakes and lizards were tied to summer solstice rituals in Greek and Egyptian beliefs.
Whether you decorate your home with symbols like these or borrow from the prayers and spreads above, taking time to honor the summer solstice connects you to ancient traditions celebrating light, growth and life’s great cycles, the equinox and solstice calculator helps you keep the date and rember to honor your tradition.
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Credits:
The calculations are based on the book “Astronomical Algorithms Second Edition” by Jean Meeus ©1998, published by Willmann-Bell, Inc., Richmond, VA, ISBN 0-943396-61-1 and also Stellafane for the inspiration.