Origin of Name
The term "lunar standstill" was apparently first used by archeologist Alexander Thom in his 1971 book "Megalithic Lunar Observatories". The term "solstice", which derives from the Latin solstitium: sol- (sun) + -stitium (a stoppage), describes the similar extremes in the sun's varying declination. Neither the sun nor the moon stands still, obviously; what stops, momentarily, is the change in declination.
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