All posts tagged: Solstice

Solstice buys Element Solutions in .5 billion deal, sharpens focus on AI market

Solstice buys Element Solutions in $14.5 billion deal, sharpens focus on AI market

July 6 : Honeywell spinoff Solstice Advanced Materials said it will buy peer specialty chemical company Element Solutions in a $14.5 billion deal, as it seeks to capitalize on growing demand from AI data centers and the chip industries. The deal would create a larger supplier of materials used in semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and industrial applications, combining Solstice’s refrigerants, specialty materials and uranium-conversion business with Element’s electronics chemicals portfolio. Shares of Solstice dropped nearly 13 per cent, while those of Element fell 2.1 per cent on Monday, following the announcement of the cash-and-stock deal. Solstice said the transaction would accelerate its strategy to build an advanced materials platform with greater exposure to electronics, AI infrastructure, thermal management and data-center cooling applications, while maintaining a global footprint. CEO David Sewell said on a conference call that the deal is expected to deliver more than $180 million in annual cost savings within three years of closing and expand the company’s reach in the semiconductor and electronics markets. Solstice’s uranium conversion and nuclear-services business would position the combined …

Secrets of Stonehenge and other ancient sites unlocked for the summer solstice

Secrets of Stonehenge and other ancient sites unlocked for the summer solstice

The story of Stonehenge starts around 5,000 years ago. But its famous old stones, some of which were transported all the way from south-west Wales to Wiltshire, are just part of the story. Close to the beginning of its use, the site was a cemetery, with dozens of people laid to rest. That so many changes have been made to the site since – almost all involving huge commitments of human labour and creativity – is testament to Stonehenge’s significance to countless generations of people. Its continuing fascination was demonstrated by a 2022 British Museum exhibition that attracted 190,000 visitors to its collection of prehistoric objects from 36 European institutions. Now, that physical exhibition has been brought to virtual life in a new collaboration between researchers at the University of Reading, including myself, and the museum. Users of The Virtual World of Stonehenge – released to coincide with the summer solstice – can go deep inside Stonehenge and watch it change through time. Video: University of Reading. They can closely examine one of the bluestones …

A great hike for the summer solstice when L.A. gets 14 hours of ☀️

A great hike for the summer solstice when L.A. gets 14 hours of ☀️

I was only about 30 minutes from my home, but there I was in the solitude of the San Gabriel Mountains without another soul on the trail. Dozens of butterflies, likely variable checkerspots with hints of yellow and red on their wings, fluttered all around. A territorial hummingbird repeatedly buzzed past my head, resembling the sound of either the world’s largest bumblebee or a tiny angry drone zipping past my face. Western whiptails flitted across the trail and onto rocks. A cacophony of birdsong and calls filled my ears, including, per my birding app, spotted towhee, Western wood-pewee, wrentit, bushtit and a purple finch I looked long and hard to try to identify in the treetops. Later, a gray squirrel expressed its displeasure at an interloper disrupting its peace. These are special and common experiences that I frequently find hiking along the Gabrielino Trail, a 28(ish)-mile route through the San Gabriel Mountains that runs from Chantry Flat north of Arcadia to a lush riparian area along the Arroyo Seco east of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab …

When is the Summer solstice? The longest day of the year is soon

When is the Summer solstice? The longest day of the year is soon

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Whether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June 24 celebrating Midsummer. Congregating around bonfires, or sometimes maypoles, sporting handwoven wreaths of wildflowers or oak leaves, they’ll sing, jump, dance, eat, drink, catch up and celebrate the arrival of the longest day of the year. As a scholar of folklore, I have been to Midsummer celebrations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania, and I am endlessly in awe of people’s fervent commitment to the holiday and evident enjoyment of it. From the Mediterranean to Scandinavia and from France to Poland and beyond, Midsummer goes by many names, including the Italian “Festa di San Giovanni Battista” and the Swedish “Midsommar.” It’s “Leedopäev” in Estonia, “Juhannus” in Finland, …

Ancient monument marked summer solstice centuries before Stonehenge

Ancient monument marked summer solstice centuries before Stonehenge

A reconstruction of the summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford thousands of years ago Marijane Porter, Wessex Archaeology Stone Age peoples in Britain built a wooden monument to mark the summer solstice, 500 years before they began building the stone circle at Stonehenge. Stonehenge is also aligned to the summer solstice, and the wooden monument may have been an early prototype of this. It is one of the earliest examples of a monument aligned to an astronomical phenomenon in the British Isles. “What we have now, for the first time, is actual proof that these people were capable of capturing the movement of the sun,” said Phil Harding at Wessex Archaeology, who led the excavations, at a press conference announcing the discovery. Stonehenge is a monument built during the Neolithic, the very end of the Stone Age. Situated on Salisbury Plain in the UK, it consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen stones topped by horizontal lintels, a smaller inner ring of vertical bluestones and several other stones. These are …

When is the Summer solstice? The longest day of the year is soon

Summer solstice: What to know about the longest day of the year

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Whether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June 24 celebrating Midsummer. Congregating around bonfires, or sometimes maypoles, sporting handwoven wreaths of wildflowers or oak leaves, they’ll sing, jump, dance, eat, drink, catch up and celebrate the arrival of the longest day of the year. As a scholar of folklore, I have been to Midsummer celebrations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania, and I am endlessly in awe of people’s fervent commitment to the holiday and evident enjoyment of it. From the Mediterranean to Scandinavia and from France to Poland and beyond, Midsummer goes by many names, including the Italian “Festa di San Giovanni Battista” and the Swedish “Midsommar.” It’s “Leedopäev” in Estonia, “Juhannus” in Finland, …

Now is the time to book a Summer Solstice trip to Iceland

Now is the time to book a Summer Solstice trip to Iceland

Midnight struck again in Reykjavík, when the sun seemed to be setting and rising at the same time. At the very top of the hotel is The Roof, a panoramic bar that feels purpose-built for the occasion. From here, the city stretched out below like a map: the formidable silhouette of Hallgrímskirkja rising above the streets, Harpa Concert Hall shimmering on the harbour’s edge, and the looming majesty of Mt. Esja across the water. Cocktails are inspired by Icelandic themes, from Basalt — a vodka, raspberry, and vanilla skyr creation — to Aurora, made with blue gin, cucumber, basil, and citrus. Over a supposed nightcap, I immersed myself in the quiet energy of Reykjavík and its understated beauty. Few places in the world, let alone Europe, offer such serenity at the height of summer; in Iceland, that stillness arrives in abundance. Source link

When is the shortest day of the year? The exact date of Winter Solstice 2025

When is the shortest day of the year? The exact date of Winter Solstice 2025

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more The winter solstice, a phenomenon revered by ancient civilisations, continues to hold profound significance today as it heralds the official start of winter. This annual event marks the shortest day of the year, characterised by the fewest hours of daylight, and conversely, the longest night. It is also the precise moment when the sun reaches its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. The term “solstice” itself is rooted in Latin, combining “sol,” meaning sun, with “sistere,” which translates to “to come to a stop” or “make stand.” While the Southern Hemisphere embraces the onset of summer, those residing north of the equator will observe the opposite – the inaugural day of winter. This year, the celestial event is set to occur on Sunday …

The winter solstice is here – and this is what you need to know | Science, Climate & Tech News

The winter solstice is here – and this is what you need to know | Science, Climate & Tech News

Fed up with it getting dark at 4pm? Well after today, the days will start to get a little longer. The 21 December marks the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Daylight will last for almost eight hours in London, which is eight hours and 49 minutes shorter than the June solstice – the longest day of the year. The actual moment of the solstice will occur at 3.03pm in the UK, but most people mark the whole day. Solstice is recognised by holidays and festivals in many cultures around the world. Image: People celebrating last year at Newgrange, Co Meath. Pic: PA It also means from Monday 22 December, days will start to get a little bit longer in the Northern Hemisphere, every single day until late June. The increase in daylight will be minuscule at first, just a matter of seconds a day, but will steadily grow until daylight expands by three minutes every day in March, according to weather forecast website Almanac. …