Friday night’s Strawberry Moon may solve a Stonehenge mystery – The Weather Network

Within the past 60 years, though, some researchers have begun to wonder if Stonehenge was built with the motions of the Moon in mind, as well. Specifically, they’ve been asking if the layout of specific stones surrounding the main circle — the Station Stones — are positioned to align with moonrise and moonset during a major lunar standstill.

This diagram of the layout of Stonehenge features the rectangle that links the Station Stones (the two existing stones and the two locations that are known to have once held similar stones), which may have a lunar connection. (Adapted from Astroskiandhike/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

“The strongest evidence we have for people marking the major lunar standstill comes from the US southwest,” Fabio Silva, Amanda Chadburn, and Erica Ellingson wrote in an article on The Conversation in April 2024. Silva and Chadburn are both researchers in the field of archaeology at Bournemouth University in the U.K., while Ellingson is a professor emeritus in astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“The Great House of Chimney Rock, a multi-level complex built by the ancestral Pueblo people in the San Juan National Forest, Colorado, more than 1,000 years ago,” they explained. “It lies on a ridge that ends at a natural formation of twin rock pillars — an area that has cultural significance to more than 26 native American tribal nations. From the vantage point of the Great House, the Sun will never rise in the gap between the pillars. However, during a major standstill the Moon does rise between them in awe-inspiring fashion.”

The researchers believe that if one culture made these kinds of observations, others may have as well, including those who built Stonehenge. Specifically, ancient cremated human remains were found buried near the southeast part of the megalith, which apparently aligns with the southernmost major lunar standstill moonrise.

With the onset of this new major lunar standstill, the researchers plan to observe these potential alignments, two of which should occur every month from February 2024 through November 2025.

The English Heritage website is hosting a live stream of the southernmost moonrise from Stonehenge, starting at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 21.