(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Right about the time of today’s winter-solstice moment – just before 2:30 pm – the sun emerged to greet the newly arrived season. And it hung around long enough for squinting and sunglasses to be in order at NASA volunteer Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen‘s sunset-watch event at West Seattle’s Solstice Park.

The park has paths and markers that align with solstice/equinox sunsets, and the dozens in attendance were able to fully appreciate them today.

Sunset watch also means a lesson about the Earth, the Sun, and how the solar system works.

Now that the days are going to start getting longer – just a tiny bit at first, Alice noted when asked, so don’t get too excited yet – you can start looking forward to the spring equinox, just before 3 pm on Wednesday, March 20th, so plan on sunset watch with Alice a few hours later.