Italy

In honor of Rome's birthday, the ray of sun in the Pantheon was late for an hour

On April 21, 2014, several hundred tourists located in the Roman Pantheon witnessed an astronomical phenomenon that can be observed only once a year: a ray of the sun passing through an opening in the dome illuminates the entrance to the ancient temple dedicated to the ancient Roman gods at exactly 12.00.

We arrived at the Pantheon half an hour before the alleged occurrence. A few minutes before 12 it was already obvious that the ray of sun did not have time to reach the entrance at the appointed time. We recently wrote about the Italian scientist Eugenio La Rocca, who revealed the secret and proved that the oculus (a nine-meter hole in the dome of the Pantheon) was used by the emperor Augustus instead of a theater spotlight. According to his research, at noon, on the birthday of Rome on April 21, Augustus entered the temple, which caused the delight of the servants, most of whom, of course, were unaware of the cunning astronomical calculations of the builders.

Eyewitness fact: on April 21, 2014 at 12.00 Italian time (UTC + 02: 00), a light spot remained a few meters before the entrance. We have forgotten that during the time of Emperor Hadrian there was no summer time yet.

However, everything fell into place exactly an hour later, apparently, there is a difference between astronomical time in Italy and Ancient Rome. Then we suggest that you follow the chronicle of events in our photo report.

5 minutes to 13.00

Everyone is waiting for a decisive moment.

Hooray!

But the enjoyment of the astronomical miracle was short. At 13:00 they announced that the Pantheon was closing, and began to politely kick everyone out. Usually it works until 19.00, but due to the holidays, the time for visits was reduced.

And the light actually falls very beautifully and right on target.

A serious traffic jam formed at the exit, as a result of mass insanity everyone rushed to photograph themselves.

The light was really magical.

We with the editor-in-chief of Italy for Me, Yana Yakutsevich, also could not help but remember the photograph.

At the entrance to the Pantheon there was a huge disappointed crowd of people who did not have time to enter.

At 13:15, the huge doors closed, the show ended.

It remained a mystery to me why on such an important day the temple administration was so dismissive of thousands who wanted to look at a unique phenomenon. However, this is Italy, no one will work more than necessary here, especially on holidays.

Popular Posts

Category Italy, Next Article

Martini Asti - is it champagne or wine?
Italian drinks

Martini Asti - is it champagne or wine?

With high probability we can say that all the New Year's tables of the world are accompanied by champagne. However, drinks from the French Champagne region are much less common than Italian sparkling wines. One of the brightest representatives of the hissing alcoholic community of Italy is Asti champagne. Martini Asti is even more popular.
Read More
Liquor Amaretto
Italian drinks

Liquor Amaretto

It is good to celebrate the holiday and in the morning, Italians can tell everything that happened. Their gourmet spirits are appreciated all over the world. One of the brightest representatives of the alcoholic world of Italy is Amaretto. This is an almond-flavored liquor. But, surprisingly, some species do not contain almonds at all.
Read More
Grappa
Italian drinks

Grappa

Grappa is the true embodiment of Italian temperament in degrees of fortress. This is an amazing and original alcoholic drink. Being a product made from waste wine, she conquered the world with her taste. Each year, Italy produces about 40 million bottles of grappa, which are distributed in all countries.
Read More
Aperol syringe - Italian aperitif of red-orange color
Italian drinks

Aperol syringe - Italian aperitif of red-orange color

Today, in the era of the triumph of bars and nightclubs, liquors are extremely popular. Not only for the good taste, but also due to the fact that they are used to prepare a wide variety of cocktails. A favorite among the Italian sweet alcohol can rightly be called Aperol. This is an aperitif with a bitter taste and, in combination, the main ingredient in the Spritz cocktail.
Read More