Expedition Week

Starts Nov 15 9P Starts Nov 15 8P Starts Nov 15 7P Starts Nov 15 9P Starts Nov 15 8P Starts Nov 15 6P Episodes

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

XUpcoming EpisodesAll Episodes

Previous PagePrevious PageNext PageNext Page

Stonehenge Decoded

Remind Me Sunday November 8 3P Sunday November 8 2P Sunday November 8 1P Sunday November 8 12P Sunday November 8 11A Sunday November 8 10A

Back to Series

OverviewOverviewVideoVideoPhotosPhotosGameGameInteractive MapInteractive MapTheoriesTheoriesMerlin MythMerlin MythRoman TempleRoman TempleBuilt By DruidsBuilt By DruidsBronze AgeBronze AgeCelestial ObservatoryCelestial ObservatoryLey Line VortexLey Line VortexInspired By AliensInspired By AliensEarth MotherEarth MotherNeolithic LourdesNeolithic LourdesCity of the DeadCity of the DeadSTN_HTML_article6_celestial-observatory

Stonehenge Theories:

Celestial Observatory

NEXT: Ley Line Vortex

Several theories proposed a connection between Stonehenge's purpose and astronomy.

Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer, the renowned English scientist and astronomer who was the co-discoverer of the element helium and founded the scientific journal Nature, also dabbled in antiquities. Lockyer developed a theory that ancient temples were aligned according to the position of the sunrise at the time they were built. In 1901, he wrote a paper in which he assumed that portion of Stonehenge known as the Heel Stone had been originally aligned with the Summer Solstice, and on that basis calculated—incorrectly, as we now know-- that the monument had been built in 1800 BC. In 1906, he published a book, Stonehenge and Other British Stone Monuments Astronomically Considered, in which he pointed to astronomical similarities between Stonehenge and Egyptian temples, and argued that the English monument had been built by people from that region. 57 years later, American astronomer Gerald Hawkins used a computer to do a much more elaborate and exacting study of Stonehenge's astronomical alignments. His analysis, first published in Nature and later in the 1965 book Stonehenge Decoded, found 165 points on the structure associated with movements of the Sun and Moon (but not any stars or visible planets). He proposed that Stonehenge was in itself a sort of ancient computer, designed to predict lunar eclipses.

« Bronze Age

Ley Line Vortex »

Remind Me

Enter your email address so NGC can remind you when next this show airs.

Choose Airdate

And/Or

Mobile Number

Carrier

Remind Me I have read and agree to the Terms of Service

Terms & Conditions Please note that show times occasionally change. Always consult NGC's online TV schedule for the latest information. If you sign up to receive a mobile reminder, you are authorizing NGC program reminders to be sent to your mobile phone. You will only receive reminders for shows that you request. This is a free NGC service, but standard text messaging rates apply. NGC mobile program reminders are offered by the following carriers: Alltel, AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile®, Verizon Wireless. You can end this service anytime by texting STOP to 64288. If you have trouble using this feature, please email site comments to website@natgeochannel.com.

NGC privacy policy