As English Heritage tries to understand the origins of Stonehenge, the next theory the team wants to explore, with the help of experts from the universities of Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth, as well as the Royal Astronomical Society, is that the famous Stonehenge’s position was based on a long lunar standstill.<\/p>\n
During a major lunar standstill, which only occurs every 18.6 years (the next one will begin in the spring of 2024 and last until mid-2025, peaking in January 2025), the Moon’s northernmost and southernmost positions will be farthest apart along the horizon. This unique lunar motion may have been observed during the early construction of Stonehenge, potentially influencing the monument’s design and purpose. This lunar phenomenon may have been the reason why builders placed station stones in specific locations, and could shed new light on how shadows indicate burial sites.<\/p>\n
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“This rare opportunity allows us to delve deeper into the monument’s ancient mysteries and its links to celestial events,” said Jennifer Wexler, English Heritage’s Stonehenge historian.<\/p>\n
Experts can only speculate about the purpose of Stonehenge, but because the Sun rises over the Heel Stone on the longest day of the year and sets over it on the shortest day, it suggests the structure was a prehistoric temple aligned with the movement of the Sun, writes English Heritage.<\/p>\n
With Stonehenge\u2019s architectural links to the Sun now firmly established, attention is now turning to a less well-understood connection to the Moon. \u201cThe four station stones align with the outermost positions of the Moon,\u201d said Clive Ruggles, emeritus professor of archaeoastronomy in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, in a statement, \u201cand researchers have debated for years whether this was deliberate, and if so, how it was achieved and what the purpose might have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing the connection first-hand in 2024 and 2025 could provide new insights, said Amanda Chadboom, a visiting fellow at Bournemouth University and a member of Oxford University\u2019s Kellogg College, in a statement. The team plans to document moonrises at key times in relation to the Station Stones, all with the aim of exploring the site\u2019s potentially complex relationship with the Moon.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike the Sun, tracking the extremes of the Moon is not straightforward, requiring specific timing and weather conditions,\u201d Cadboom said. \u201cWe want to understand what it was like to experience these extreme Moonrise and Moonset events and observe their visual effects on rocks (such as patterns of light and shadow), as well as modern influences such as traffic and trees, and document all of this with photography for future research.\u201d<\/p>\n
English Heritage will also partner with the University of Colorado Boulder and the USDA Forest Service to host joint events to demonstrate and discuss the impact of the moon at Chimney Rock, Colorado.<\/p>\n
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Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site, has inspired study and interpretation for centuries. Work on Salisbury Plain began around 5,000 years ago, and the monument was built in stages. The stone circle dates back to around 2500 BC, during the late Neolithic period.<\/p>\n
Experts are not sure how the stones were transported to the site, and some of them \u2013 particularly the bluestones \u2013 probably came from the Preseli Hills, more than 150 miles away in southwest Wales. The builders raised the stones using joints not found at any other prehistoric monument, giving Stonehenge the title of the most architecturally complex surviving stone circle in the world and giving us insight into the Neolithic and Bronze Age people who created the site.<\/p>\n
The Moon, like any other celestial body, has its own trajectory of movement across the sky, visible from Earth. With prolonged study, one can notice that the points of the satellite’s rise and set change over time, shifting from north to south and back.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Astronomers call this phenomenon orbital precession. It is caused by two factors. The first is the effect of the Sun’s tidal force on the Moon. Because of it, the satellite’s aspid line (the graph of the location of the points on the celestial body’s orbit that are farthest from the central object and closest to it) constantly shifts, changing the trajectory of its movement around the Earth.<\/p>\n The second factor is related to the rotation of the Moon and the Earth relative to the Sun. Making a revolution around its native star, our planet moves in a plane called the ecliptic. The Earth’s axis is tilted relative to it by 23.4 degrees. Due to this, the seasons change, and the trajectory of sunrises and sunsets changes in the range of about 47 degrees during the year.<\/p>\n The Moon’s orbit is also tilted relative to the plane of the ecliptic, but this angle is only 5.1 degrees. Because of this, the monthly trajectory of the satellite’s sunrises and sunsets varies within 57 degrees. Therefore, the Moon can periodically rise and fall below the horizon to the south or north of the Sun.<\/p>\n Taken together, these factors produce the following effect: once every 18.6 years, the Moon rises and sets at its extreme points on the horizon, reaching the highest or lowest points in the sky. This phenomenon is called lunation, or the Moon’s standstill.<\/p>\n Astronomers distinguish between large and small lunations. The former occur when the amplitude of the Earth’s satellite’s movement across the sky expands to its maximum, and the latter when it narrows.<\/p>\n A major lunar standstill is expected in 2024. This phenomenon primarily affects the visibility of the Moon: it stays in the night sky longer and shines brighter.<\/p>\n\n The lunation does not depend on the phase of the Earth’s satellite, so in clear weather it can be observed almost every day. However, it will look most spectacular during the full moon, at the moment when the Sun is setting and the Moon is just rising into the sky.<\/p>\n Scientists have long noticed that some ancient structures, such as Stonehenge in the UK, Callanish in Scotland and Newgrange in Ireland, can be correlated with the movement of the Sun across the sky. However, the question of the connection between these ancient monuments and the lunar cycle remains open.<\/p>\n According to the British Royal Astronomical Society, the ancient builders of Stonehenge could have been oriented towards the Moon when erecting the monument. Moreover, the position of the four stones of the complex coincides with the extreme points of the Earth’s satellite on the horizon during lunations.<\/p>\n Two new prehistoric stone circles have been discovered in Britain’s Dartmoor National Park,<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0with one structure said to have “similar features to Stonehenge” – supporting one archaeologist’s “sacred arc” theory. The archaeologist who made the discovery, Alan Endacott, had previously found the first stone circle in the area in more than a century.<\/p>\n The mystery of Britain\u2019s many megalithic structures has fascinated scientists and archaeologists for centuries. While the most famous megalithic complex (the term \u201cmegalith\u201d refers to a collection of large stones used to build prehistoric monuments or structures) is undoubtedly Stonehenge, the UK boasts many of these towering artefacts, including two recently discovered stone circles that may help confirm a popular theory about their original purpose.<\/p>\n The Guardian reported that two Neolithic stone circles have been discovered in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. The circles, one of which is said to have \u201csimilar features to Stonehenge,\u201d appear to support the \u201csacred arc\u201d theory put forward by archaeologist Alan Endacott, who made the discovery.<\/p>\n Endacott, who discovered a stone circle on Dartmoor in 2007, the first such discovery in more than a century, believes that all the structures on Dartmoor formed a “sacred arc” on high ground in the centre of the moor.<\/p>\n “Dartmoor would have been very different then, there would have been a lot more woodland cover,” Endacott explained to The Guardian. “So maybe they were markers on the landscape, they recognised high ground and wanted to sort of enclose it for some reason.”<\/p>\n However, the second of the two stone circles recently discovered by Endacott was not part of this arc. Rather, Endacott argues that, given its placement north of the arc’s bend, “it was the entry point into the arc from the north.”<\/p>\n Beyond the structures themselves, Endacott also relied on observations of the surrounding terrain to interpret the purpose of these particular megaliths. Noting the outer rampart near the circle, Endacott said it \u201csuggests a Neolithic henge similar in form to the Stripple Stones in Cornwall, the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, or even an earlier phase of Stonehenge.\u201d He even went so far as to suggest that the builders of this particular set of stone circles may have stumbled upon the famous Stonehenge during their travels.<\/p>\n The stones at Stonehenge are diverse in composition and come from a number of potential sources.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Scientists previously thought they knew most of what there was to know about the Altar Stone \u2013 the largest non-sarsen stone at the site, now partially buried beneath two fallen stones. But researchers led by a team from Curtin University may have just rewritten that history, writing that the stone, long thought to have come from Wales, actually hails from Scotland.<\/p>\n\n By studying the age and chemistry of mineral grains in fragments of the six-tonne Alter Stone, a thick 16ft by 3ft sandstone block at the centre of Wiltshire’s landmark circle, the team created a chemical fingerprint of the stone. This chemistry matched that of rocks from north-east Scotland and clearly distinguished it from the Welsh bedrock.<\/p>\n \u201cOur analysis showed that the individual mineral grains in the altar stone are mostly between 1,000 and 2,000 million years old, while other minerals are around 450 million years old,\u201d said Anthony Clarke, lead author and a PhD student in the Timescales of Mineral Systems group in Curtin\u2019s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, in a statement. \u201cThis provides a distinct chemical fingerprint, suggesting that the stone came from rocks in the Orcadian Basin, Scotland, at least 750 kilometres (466 miles) from Stonehenge.\u201d<\/p>\n According to English Heritage, the Altar Stone is a large slab of greenish Old Red Sandstone. Recent geological research has pinpointed the stone’s source to the Brecon Beacons in south-east Wales. But new research published today in the journal Nature challenges this prevailing theory.<\/p>\n Richard Bevins, a co-author of the study and a professor at Aberystwyth University, said in a statement that after the famous stone’s chemical composition revealed it was from Scotland, the hunt was on to find its exact origin.<\/p>\n Clarke said the stone’s Scottish origins raised the fascinating question of how such a massive stone was transported so far back into the Neolithic era, around 2600 BC. This would have required, the authors argue, an unexpectedly advanced method of transport and complex social organisation.<\/p>\n \u201cOur discovery of the provenance of the Altar Stone highlights the significant levels of social coordination in the Neolithic period and helps paint a fascinating picture of prehistoric Britain,\u201d said Chris Kirkland, co-author of the study and a Curtin professor, in a statement. \u201cTransporting such a huge load overland from Scotland to southern England would have been an enormous challenge, pointing to a likely maritime shipping route along the coast of Britain. This implies long-distance trading networks and a higher level of social organisation than is widely known to have existed in Neolithic Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n Scientists have solved a huge, long-standing mystery about Stonehenge after years of dedicated study and using cutting-edge technology to its full potential.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0By conducting mass spectrometry on one of the site’s 52 stones, researchers were able to match its trace elements to a site in England where the stone was likely mined.<\/p>\n In a new paper in the journal Science Advances, the researchers explain in detail what they did:<\/p>\n “Here we apply a novel combination of geochemical and statistical approaches to determine the provenance of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge. Firstly, we use portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to obtain an initial chemical characterisation of all surviving sarsen lintels and lintels. We then carry out inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and ICP atomic emission spectrometry analyses of samples from a recently rediscovered core drilled through sarsen stone 58 at Stonehenge and a representative range of sarsen boulders from across southern Britain.”<\/p>\n The site the scientists have identified as a likely source is called West Woods, about 15 miles from Stonehenge. They say West Woods held a special place for Neolithic people: it was a source of literally tons of the best stone they could find, and had natural access points that made it easy to access. And, most importantly for this study, \u201cWest Woods, in the south-east of the Marlborough Downs, provides acceptable matches for all the average immobile trace element ratios from the Phillips core; this includes unusual minerals that fall within the instrumental uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n First, the researchers used non-destructive surface testing at the Stonehenge site. This helped them narrow down the stones that were likely made from the same rock from the same source, which turned out to be the vast majority of surviving stones. But without a sample they could test with advanced mass spectrometry, they couldn\u2019t draw any conclusions or attempt to match the stones with confidence.<\/p>\n In the 1950s, researchers and preservationists teamed up to align and secure three stones that fell in the 1790s. To do this, a contractor drilled a core through each of the three stones to install a metal bracket. The core from Stone 58 was lost for decades and rediscovered in 2018. Finally, researchers had a sample they could analyze.<\/p>\n Why would they wait for some mysterious object to appear, rather than test the rocks as they are? Well, because this kind of mass spectrometry is a destructive test, the researchers need a sample they can safely turn into dust. You can\u2019t just walk up to one of humanity\u2019s oldest and most famous monuments and chip a bit into an envelope. Even taking a core sample would require extensive special permission, because those cores may represent the only testable material we\u2019ll ever safely get from the rocks.<\/p>\n So, with a core sample in hand, the Spanish lab ground it up for analysis. Any external weathering was removed, leaving a clean sample that was ground down to micrometers. The scientists then ran three \u201cdigestion\u201d tests, in which some of the sample was processed and completely broken down using acid to reveal trace elements and other clues about the chemical composition. With a full spectral analysis in hand, the team could compare their 20 potential sites side by side and conclude that West Woods was the most likely match.<\/p>\n The discovery of the lost core provided a special, valuable research material, and the data these scientists obtained could be analyzed in more detail by others in the future. And with a likely candidate location in hand, other researchers can think more carefully about how ancient people cut and prepared these giant stones and transported them even just a few miles. The past, it seems, has an exciting future.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Experts at English Heritage are investigating a new theory about how the Moon may have influenced the design of Stonehenge. A major lunar standstill occurs about every 19 years, with the next one due in 2024. This has prompted experts in England to investigate whether the phenomenon could have something to do with the design of Stonehenge. The stones at Stonehenge are varied in composition and come from a number of potential sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[225,219,286],"tags":[404,403],"class_list":{"0":"post-1247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archeology","8":"category-history","9":"category-neolit","10":"tag-moon","11":"tag-stonehenge"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1247"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1412,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions\/1412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/artemiada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/stounhendg2411242.jpg\")
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