Stonehenge and Solstice

[jack.h...@gmail.com]

The crowds gathering after the longest night has made me think about the alignment of the stones that point to the rising sun at the solstices

The angle of the Earth's axial tilt  varies between 22.1° and 24.5°, over a cycle of about 41,000 years.

Stonehenge was built 4,500 /  5,000 years ago so the alignment of the stones with respect to the rising sun would not have been the same as is is today.  So:  is the alignment just a fluke? Or did the Neolithic builders realise what it it would be 5,000 years later after the advent of mass tourism?  :-)

Jack

[Len W]

Apparently the half a degree difference in tilt between then and now means it is two sun-widths out nowadays Jack.

All explained here

http://www.stonehenge-tours.com/blog.Astronomical-Alignments-at-Stonehenge.html

Len

[jack.h...@gmail.com]

Thanks Len for the link.

Well it was a valid question after all.  I kick myself for not researching the subject instead of just jumping in with a query.

Clever people 4,500 years ago but I very much doubt that they had any knowledge of the changing tilt of the Earth's axis.

Jack