Dr Plot and the amazing double sunset

One of Staffordshire's most notable curiosities is the double sunset seen from the churchyard of St Edward the Confessor at Leek in the Staffordshire moorlands. The alignment of a local hill means that the Sun is occulted close to sunset around the time of the summer solstice. This phenomenon was described in 1686 by Dr Robert Plot, who also realized its significance for measuring the approach of the solstice and the obliquity of the ecliptic. Calculations show that the phenomenon existed in Neolithic times and will be visible for another 500 years. It is possible that the churchyard and archaeological sites in the region made use of the natural alignment in the Bronze Age.