The Stones and the Stars: Building Scotland's Newest Megalith (Astronomers' Universe)

The Stones and the Stars: Building Scotland's Newest Megalith (Astronomers' Universe)

Duncan Lunan

Language: English

Pages: 325

ISBN: 1461453534

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


There are at least 48 identified prehistoric stone circles in Scotland. In truth, very little is known about the people who erected them, and ultimately about what the stone circles were for. Most stone circles are astronomically aligned, which has led to the modern debate about why the alignment was significant. The megaliths certainly represented an enormous co-operative effort, would at the very least have demonstrated power and wealth, and being set away from any dwellings probably served a ceremonial, or perhaps religious, purpose.

Observations at the site of the stone circles, of solar, lunar, and stellar events, have already cast light on some of the questions about the construction and use of ancient megalithic observatories.

In his capacity as manager of the Parks Department Astronomy Project, author Duncan Lunan designed and built the first astronomically aligned stone circle in Britain in over 3,000 years. 'The Stones and the Stars' examines the case for astronomical alignments of stone circles, and charts the development of a fascinating project with a strong scientific and historical background. The work was documented in detail by the artist and photographer Gavin Roberts, and this archive has been added to since -  so an appropriate selection of illustrations will bring the project vividly to life.

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Latitudes, and in ancient China for instance the sky was divided up in quite a different way. Still nearer the equator the tendency is not to form figures at all but ‘ropes’ of stars running in parallel lines across the sky from east to west. Such ‘star-ropes’ were later used by the Polynesian cultures to achieve their amazing feats of navigation between islands widely separated in the Pacific [21]. It’s interesting that in ancient Sumerian cosmology, the model of the universe was an equatorial.

Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London (2011) 9. Thom, A., Thom, A.S.: Megalithic Remains in Britain and Brittany. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1978) 10. Burl, A.: Prehistoric Avebury, op cit 11. Dames, M.: The Silbury Treasure: The Great Goddess Rediscovered. Thames and Hudson, London (1976) 12. Daniel, G.: Letter, Sci. Am., op cit 13. Thom, A., Merritt, R.L.: Some megalithic sites in Shetland. J Hist Astron 9, 54–60 (1978)ADS 14. Lewis, D.: The Voyaging Stars, op cit 15. Daniel, G.:.

Position – apart from the general reluctance to have Sportsworks personnel working under the helicopter. It had been clear for some time that nets would be used, and the Sea King would simply lower each stone into the prepared pit and cast it off. At first it was supposed that the nets would have to be sacrificed, with the lower parts buried in the cement and their tops cut off at ground level. But if Sportsworks men and machines were going to sling the stones and raise them upright in any case,.

Lunan) Fig. 10.12Summerhill skyline after demolitions (Photo by Linda Lunan, June 10, 2012) Fig. 10.13Lichen growing on the northwest stones (Photo by Kate Braithwaite, autumn 2010) After the circle is restored and completed, what then, I am often asked. Back in 1979, our next plan was to build a model of the Solar System, scaled to the city of Glasgow. Gavin Roberts had realized that if the stone circle represented the Sun, then the orbit of Pluto (then still designated a planet) would be at.

CandlemasChristian feast, February 2, commemorating the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Also a key date in the megalithic calendar as reconstructed by Alexander and Archie Thom (see Imbolc). Cardinal PointsThe true north, south, east and west points on the observer’s horizon. Castle RiggA large flattened circle with multiple astronomical alignments, near Keswick in the Lake District of England. Cathkin BraesSlopes overlooking Glasgow on the southeast. Celestial PolesThe positions where.

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