Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.To those gathering over the centuries at Stonehenge — the imposing prehistoric monument that has dominated Salisbury plain in southwest England for some 4,500 years — it was likely clear how the sun could have informed its design.The central axis of the stone circle was, and still is, aligned with the sunrise at midsummer and sunset at midwinter, the stones dramatically framing the rising and setting sun when days were at their longest and shortest.But do Stonehenge and potentially other megalithic monuments around the world also align with the moon?The idea that Stonehenge was linked in some way to the moon gained ground in the 1960s. However, the concept hadn’t been systematically explored, said Clive Ruggles, professor emeritus of archaeoastronomy in the school of archaeology and ancient history at the University of Leicester.This summer, archaeologists are using a little-known lunar phenomenon that happens every 18.6 years to investigate as part of their work in understanding why Stonehenge was built.Lunar standstillLike the sun, the moon rises in the east and set in the west. However, moonrise and moonset move from north to south and back again in the space of a month. The northern and southern extremes also change over a period of about 18 and a half years. The lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are farthest apart.“The moon rise changes every day and if you track this for a month you’d notice there is a northern and a southern limit beyond which the moon never rises (or sets),” said Fabio Silva, senior lecturer in archaeological modeling at Bournemout …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.To those gathering over the centuries at Stonehenge — the imposing prehistoric monument that has dominated Salisbury plain in southwest England for some 4,500 years — it was likely clear how the sun could have informed its design.The central axis of the stone circle was, and still is, aligned with the sunrise at midsummer and sunset at midwinter, the stones dramatically framing the rising and setting sun when days were at their longest and shortest.But do Stonehenge and potentially other megalithic monuments around the world also align with the moon?The idea that Stonehenge was linked in some way to the moon gained ground in the 1960s. However, the concept hadn’t been systematically explored, said Clive Ruggles, professor emeritus of archaeoastronomy in the school of archaeology and ancient history at the University of Leicester.This summer, archaeologists are using a little-known lunar phenomenon that happens every 18.6 years to investigate as part of their work in understanding why Stonehenge was built.Lunar standstillLike the sun, the moon rises in the east and set in the west. However, moonrise and moonset move from north to south and back again in the space of a month. The northern and southern extremes also change over a period of about 18 and a half years. The lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are farthest apart.“The moon rise changes every day and if you track this for a month you’d notice there is a northern and a southern limit beyond which the moon never rises (or sets),” said Fabio Silva, senior lecturer in archaeological modeling at Bournemout …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
