It’s that time of year again! Spring is in the air and after a long (and very wet) winter, the mornings are getting lighter and earlier and the evenings are getting longer. It’s one of our favourite times of year….

Which got us to thinking about the gorgeous sunrises that we so often have here in Snowdonia. Of course, in the summer months we miss most of them – being still wrapped up in our cosy dreams to worry about waking up at 4am to catch the sunrise. But, this time of year is absolutely ideal for waking up an hour earlier than usual and heading out to witness one of mother nature’s wonders. The early morning temperature isn’t quite as chilly as it is in the depths of winter and the sunrise doesn’t happen quite as early as it does in the middle of summer!

In technical terms sunrise occurs at the precise moment that the top edge of the sun appears over the horizon in the morning. The sun always rises in the east, so any elevated position in Snowdonia (and there are plenty of those!) that has a good view eastwards will be a wonderful place to first catch a glimpse of the day’s sun.

And of course, a sunrise is really a clever optical illusion. It may appear as though the sun lifts up into the sky but it really occurs because the Earth is moving past the sun. For thousands of years however, it was believed by many cultures across the world that the sun was so powerful that it had the ability to move around in the sky. It wasn’t until the 16^th century that astronomer Copernicus came up with the idea that the Earth (and all the other planets) moved around the sun, and not the other way round.

Sunrise is an important and sacred daily event for many cultures and religions, and has been for centuries. The transformation from night into the dawning of a new day is thought of as a powerful and cathartic time of new beginnings. The Ancient Greeks, the Chinese, Mayans, Egyptians and Indians have all held the sun in great esteem, and in fact some of the world’s most important historical monuments seem to have been designed around the sunrise and sunset times. The buildings of the Egyptian Pyramids, the site of Machu Picchu in Peru and Stonehenge in England are all thought to have some link to the perceived rise and fall of the sun. In Paganism, welcoming the sun into a new day is an important ritual, as are sun salutations during the ancient art of yoga practice.

Sunrise is one of the best times of day to witness the glorious and gorgeous colours of Mother Nature. If you’re lucky you may catch vivid reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and mauves scattered across the sky. These stunning colours are caused by tiny air molecules and dust particles that scatter the sun’s white rays as they pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the light to change colour to the human eye. And the crisp cold air of winter makes these colours even more vivid.

So, what are you waiting for? See you at sunrise…. bright and early!!

Image by Cheryl Empey on freeimages.com