Images of light

The summer equinox occurred recently. Normally, I’m not among those who give much thought to this phenomenon. For that credit, the ultimate distinction goes to Aristotle, who lived 2,300 years ago. On solstice day, I pondered durations of light, lengthy and brief, and how the longest day has now begun its slow process of shortening by a minute or so each subsequent day. This means I’ll get a tiny amount more sleep after 5:08 a.m., when I awoke on summer’s first day. Of course, the reverse is true. Sunset was at 8.25 p.m. that day and at 8:24 p.m. the day after, which means I ought to end my evening walk a minute earlier if I’m to avoid darkness. Throw in daylight saving time, and the calculus gets complicated. 

About 20 winters ago, we took a family trip to England and toured Stonehenge on a dreary, cold day. Missing were Druids who eagerly await the astronomical day when perfect alignment of sunrise passes precisely through the gaps among the massive stones at the historical site. Two thousand miles east of Stonehenge, Indiana Jones solved the Light Chamber puzzle (see the internet for the solution), and nearly 3,900 miles to the west, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), nerdy students and rowdy gawkers line up before sunrise on the equinox to experience solar rays beaming perfectly east to west down the infinite corridor – actually 825 feet.