Solstices and the Sky Disc of Nebra

How to use the sky disc of Nebra

The State Museum of Prehistory Halle (Landesmuseum for Vorgeschichte Halle)
has detailed explanations how the Himmelscheibe von Nebra was used — here how to read the solstices.

The two arcs span an angle of 82°, correctly indicating the angle between the positions of sunset and sunrise at the summer and winter solstice at the latitude of the Mittelberg (51°N), where it was discovered in 1999. By using Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains and visible from Mittelberg, as a reference point, the sunset and sunrise during the summer and winter solstice correspond with the edges of the horizon arcs.