Stonehenge. Photographer: Howard Ignatius.
Stonehenge of southern England is one of the most famous Neolithic structures and burial grounds in the world. Construction on Stonehenge started in 5,000 BCE and continued for 1,500 years. Its eerily arranged stones, transported from up to two hundred miles away from the site, are an iconic draw for the nearly one million visitors that this site draws every year. Its purpose and significance to those who built it, however, has long been a mystery. As early as the 1960s it was suggested that Stonehenge was an example of archaeoastronomy – perhaps it functioned as an astronomical calendar. While this idea has since fallen out of favor, it remains possible that Stonehenge has a connection to the winter and summer solstices.
Diagram showing summer solstice alignment.
The Heel Stone, one of the markers outside of the main circle at Stonehenge, aligns with the center of one of the primary arches. During the summer solstice, the sun rises very close to the Heel Stone but not directly over it. However, it is still off by several degrees, and even accounting for procession it was never aligned. Hypotheses regarding a connection between the Heel Stone and the summer solstice, however, were resurrected when it was discovered that the Heel Stone actually had a twin stone that is now missing. On the summer solstice thousands of years ago, these two stones would have framed the rising sun.
The sun rising on the summer solstice. This photo is misleading; the sun does not rise exactly over the Heel Stone, seen center, though it is very close.
Stonehenge’s original intended purpose is unknown, but these connections to archaeoastronomy continue to inflame popular and academic imaginations. To this day, thousands of tourists, including many neopagans who assign spiritual significance to Stonehenge, make a pilgrimage to this site for both the summer and winter solstices.
A reveler at Stonehenge during the 2015 summer solstice.
The Solar System 