How is Stonehenge related to astronomy?

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The Revd. Edward Duke was the first person to associate astronomy with Stonehenge, describing it as a planetarium full of significant astronomical alignments - although he named none. Unfortunately most of his ideas on the subject were rather fanciful and over-imaginative, and not very scientific. Sir Norman Lockyer (1836 - 1920) was the first person to identify the reason for the orientation of Stonehenge. He realised that on the summer solstice the sun rose at the end of the main axis (as it would have done in the second and third millenniums BC). He published these findings in a book in 1906. However, Lockyer made many errors and incorrect assumptions, which made archaeologists suspicious of the possibility of astronomical alignments. Aubrey Holes went on to suggest that Stonehenge was an ancient computer. The 1960's were still early in the computer revolution, and the Harvard-Smithsonian IBM had produced some fantastic results for him. This was merely Hawkins' way of paying a high compliment to the architects and builders of Stonehenge (Castleden, 1993). There are indeed a large number of astronomical alignments, prediction and measuring devices, and representative features to be found among the megalithic stones and holes of Stonehenge. Gerald Hawkins discovered many of them, and most of his discoveries are commonly accepted. http://www.tivas.org.uk/stonehenge/stone_ast.html Apr 21 08, 3:40 AM

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Here is some rationale for why astronauts shed pounds when in outer space: Despite diets that are designed to supply each crew member with 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals, astronauts usually lose weight during flights. “Their appetite isn't as strong in space, and we don't really understand all the reasons,” says Apovian. “They just don't eat as much, and this is a concern.” Part of the problem may be the astronauts' schedule and time limitations, which tempt them to substitute snacks for meals, leading to nutrient deficiencies. In addition, more than half experience space motion sickness, which curbs their desire to eat. Apovian says that another factor may be the bland menu. Meals in space have come a long way since the Mercury flights 40 years ago, when freeze-dried powders and semiliquids packaged in aluminum tubes were the standard fare. Rehydratable foods now include chicken consommé and cream of mushroom soup, casseroles of macaroni and cheese or chicken and rice, dishes such as salmon with broccoli au gratin, and breakfasts such as scrambled eggs and cereals. Nonetheless, the meals are hardly gourmet feasts. “When there was a refrigerator on one of the shuttle missions,” Apovian says, “the astronauts managed not to lose as much weight as on other missions, so refrigeration may become an issue.” http://www.bu.edu/bridge/archive/2004/01-23/nutrition.html Apr 21 08, 3:54 AM

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Some people would say that advanced astronomical astronomy was practiced at Stonehenge. But, it is not likely that ancient observers were able to make advanced predictions such as when lunar and solar eclipses would happen. It is more likely that the astronomical observations made at Stonehenge were of a simple kind carried out for the religious and ritual practices of the people. Stonehenge does exhibit alignments with the Sun and the Moon. In fact, the main axis of the monument faces the horizon where the Sun rises midsummer morning, the longest day of the year. But the axis really only lines up roughly. The Sun actually rises to the left of the Heel Stone (the marker for the axis). And because of the Earth's precession, 4,000 years ago, the Sun would have risen even farther off the center axis. This failure to REALLY line Stonehenge up demands an explanation if these people were practicing exact astronomy. It is possible that since these people were only using such knowledge for ritual purposes, their standards of accuracy were different from our own. It is clear that the placement of stones in Stonehenge was planned. This could have been Stone Age brilliance or it could have been just the moderately observant farmer's knowledge of the sky. Because we haven't found any written records from its makers, we just don't know. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/stonehenge_astro.html Apr 21 08, 3:10 PM