Physics Photo of the Week

  Physics Photo of the Week January 23, 2026   - Solstice Sunrise - Photos by Donald Collins      Within two days of the 2025 winter solstice, when the weather permitted, I snapped a photo of the Sun rising over the Swannanoa Mountains looking southeast from my home near Warren Wilson College.  I was away on the actual December 21 solstice, but this photo was taken at 8:11 AM on December 19, 2025 very close to the true solstice.  The "solstice" literally means the "standstill of the Sun".  The Sun on the on the winter solstice stops its apparent southerly fall migration of its rising point, and gradually begins its northerly migration of the rising point.  The solstice day is the day of the year with the shortest amount of daylight and marks the beginning of the calendar season of winter. After the solstice, the Sun's rising position gradually moves northward along the horizon.  The image below shows the position and time of sunrise for...