Winter solstice instant of the solstice can be calculated, direct observation of the solstice by amateurs is impossible because the sun moves too slowly or appears to stand still (the meaning of "solstice"). However, by use of astronomical data tracking, the precise timing of its occurrence is now public knowledge. One cannot directly detect the precise instant of the solstice (by definition, one cannot observe that an object has stopped moving until one later observes that it has not moved further from the preceding spot, or that it has moved in the opposite direction). Further, to be precise to a single day,
Secular Solstice Secular Solstice The Secular Solstice is a secular humanist event started in New York City in 2013 by Raymond Arnold. It is celebrated annually on the winter solstice (or a nearby convenient date) by secular groups such as the Sunday Assembly. The origin of the secular solstice began after Arnold invited 20 friends to his house in 2011 for a holiday gathering. There, they "ate some food, sang some songs, and lit some candles" and "told stories about why the universe was the way it was and about what kind of people we wanted to be". At the end of