Bid to shed light on whether Moon could have influenced Stonehenge’s design

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Researchers are trying right into a doable hyperlink between the formation of Stonehenge and the positions of the Moon within the evening sky.

English Heritage will work with specialists at 4 different main establishments on the challenge to examine if the landmark’s stones align with the Moon throughout the upcoming “major lunar standstill”.

The phenomenon, which happens each 18.6 years, sees the northernmost and southernmost positions of the Moon rising and setting at their furthest aside.

It is hoped the analysis will shed some light on whether these lunar actions could have influenced Stonehenge’s design and function.

With the standstill taking place so not often, it’s thought the occasion might have marked large celebrations of spiritual, non secular and social significance in historic instances.

Stonehenge’s hyperlinks with one other celestial physique, the Sun, are effectively documented, with the monument constructed on the alignment of the midsummer dawn and the midwinter sundown.

While the cycle of the Sun takes roughly one 12 months, the Moon has each a shorter cycle that completes each month and the foremost lunar standstill.

During the standstill the Moon rises and units at a spot on the horizon that the Sun by no means reaches.

Jennifer Wexler, English Heritage historian for Stonehenge, mentioned: “Rarer even than once in a blue moon, this opportunity allows us to delve deeper into the monument’s ancient mysteries and its relationship with celestial phenomena.

“We’ll be inviting the public to join us through a series of events this year as we take one more small step towards unravelling of the secrets of Stonehenge.”

Experts from the colleges of Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth and the Royal Astronomical Society will assist with the challenge, with analysis beginning this spring and persevering with up to the center of 2025.

The southernmost moonrise at Stonehenge can be livestreamed by English Heritage for members of the general public to watch.

Dr Amanda Chadburn, visiting fellow at Bournemouth University and a member of Kellogg College on the University of Oxford, mentioned: “Observing this connection first-hand in 2024 and 2025 is crucial. Unlike the Sun, tracking the Moon’s extremes isn’t straightforward, requiring specific timing and weather conditions.

“We want to understand something of what it was like to experience these extreme moonrises and sets and to witness their visual effects on the stones (for example, patterns of light and shadow), and consider modern influences like traffic and trees, and to document all of this through photography for future study.”

Clive Ruggles, Emeritus Professor at Leicester University, mentioned: “Stonehenge’s architectural connection to the Sun is well known, but its link with the Moon is less well understood.

“The four Station Stones align with the Moon’s extreme positions, and researchers have debated for years whether this was deliberate, and — if so — how this was achieved and what might have been its purpose.”