Many people have heard about Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous monuments. But did you know that the circle of stones was actually an astronomical device? Archeoastronomists have debated what the original purpose of Stonehenge was, but many believe that it was used to mark solar and lunar alignments, including eclipses, solstices, and equinoxes. Many other ancient cultures built structures for astronomical purposes. Another famous example is the Templo Mayor, built by the Aztecs in modern-day Mexico City. This structure was built so that the Sun would rise right in between the two temples on the equinoxes. A third famous structure is the Sun Dagger, which is found on the Fajada Butte in New Mexico. This special structure, made up of three slabs of rock leaning against a cliff, show different patterns of light based on the time of year. For example, sunlight shines through the rocks and produces a single “dagger” on sunlight only on the summer solstice. These structures were a way for ancient civilizations to mark special dates, such as solstices and equinoxes, as well as keep track of the seasons. It’s interesting to see the different structures each ancient civilization thought of to measure the same astronomical events. Unfortunately, many of these ancient structures have either shifted or been destroyed and no longer serve their original purpose. They are still cool to learn about though!
