Stonehenge is the prehistoric monument in England aligned with the summer-solstice sunrise.
The monument stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, where its central arrangements, entrance, avenue and Heel Stone point approximately toward the northeastern horizon. Around the June solstice, the Sun rises in that direction and can be viewed from within the stone circle along the monument’s principal axis.
Stonehenge was built in stages during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, beginning roughly 5,000 years ago. Its builders left no written explanation, so scholars debate whether the alignment served calendrical, ceremonial, religious or observational purposes. The alignment itself is clear, but its precise meaning is not.
A common mix-up is Newgrange, the Irish passage tomb famous for its winter-solstice sunrise illumination. Maeshowe in Orkney is also associated with the winter solstice. Stonehenge additionally aligns approximately with the winter-solstice sunset, giving it a complementary solar axis.