Mind Visualization

Most everyone has heard of Stonehenge, the stone circle in England that has been portrayed as an astronomers’ tool, a grave yard, a druidic sacrificial altar, and even in some movies and television programs as a portal to other dimensions and other worlds. It’s not the only stone circle in the world, however. There are other such stone circles all over the world, many containing one astronomy henge stone or even an entire grouping of them. As a matter of interest, the name Stonehenge comes from Henge, Old English for the structure it describes. Henge means hang, not circle or stone as some people believe. To create Stonehenge special stones were hung on top of vertical pillars. The name eventually came to denote a variety of similar sites, generally populated by some sort of stone formation within an earthen circle. However the term henge necessitates an earthen circle. If there’s no earthen circle there’s no henge. It’s just a stone circle.

All of these stone henges have some astronomical purpose, even though they’re considered burial grounds or sites for sacrifices. It’s sometimes argued whether or not these stone formations were built for astronomy first, but there’s no doubt of building skill and scientific know how that went into erecting them. The elements that have to do with astronomy include the markings of important dates, such as the summer or winter solstice, when the sun would rise at a point marked exactly by a stone placement. This might include the sun being viewable through a tiny window at sunrise from a point at the center of a circle. Stonehenge includes a number of precise measurements. Whether they were built in from the beginning or added at a future time is of little importance. They still represent a great skill and knowledge.

Less famous but no less amazing is Wiltshire’s Avebury Henge. The henge neighbors a number of other smaller stone circles, and encompasses the entire town of Avebury. It is believed that this henge had astronomical purposes as many of its stones, now mostly fallen, had positions that corresponded with key phenomenon. In addition there were elements of ancestry and gender concerns in the design, because it had male and female looking stones. Some experts claim stone selection was purely for aesthetic purposes, however.

Some may think it would be cool to steal an astronomy henge stone to use in their home. But they’re meaningless when removed from their earthen circles. Instead, set up your own stone henge at home.

Related posts:

1. Astronomy Magazine
2. Pisces Constellation Astronomy
3. Recent Astronomy Articles