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Jan 1, 1200
Newgrange - 3000BC
This important piece of archeoastronomy was created in Ireland during the period of 2900 - 3300 BC. While orignially a tomb, Newgrange also functions as a glimpse into the knowledge of ancient astronomers. As the sunlight entered the tomb of Negrange during the Winter Solstice, sunlight shines along a center passageway above the entrance of the tomb, and it lights up the heart of the tomb. -
Jan 1, 1300
Stonehenge - 2600 BC
Stonhenge is a monlith created in Ireland around the year 2600 BC. Not much is known about Stonhenge, however archeologists and astronomers believe that the ancient people of Ireland created this in order to venerate the sun during the Spring and Winter Equinox. During the Equinoxes, the sun would rise right above the keel stone. -
Arkaim - 1700 BC
Arkaim is a Russian enigmatic archaeoastronomical site and fortress. Scientists have compared this sight with Stonhenge in it's uses as a Neolithic observatory, The fortress was built with 4 entrances, each facing a cardinal direction. The structure was built in the shape of a star, and there is evidence that shows that the fortress was used to track over 18 astronomical events, including the equinoxes and the locations of various planets. -
Abu Simbel Temple - 1300 BC
The Great Temple at Abu Simbel is a temple built in Nubia, Egypt. It took nearly 20 years to complete it. The temple was built so that on the 20th of October and the 20th of Februrary, the sun would shine into the center of the temple, lighting up scriptures inscribed on the back wall. The 20th of October is allegedly the birthday of the king at the time, and the 20th of February is supposedly the coronation of the king. -
Xochicalco - 200 BC
This ancient archaeological site is located in the Morelos state of Mexico. This site was site a great religious importance to the Mayans, and many religious rituals were performed here. In a cave located at the sight, there was a chimney with a hexagonal top. On the 15th of May and the 29th of July, the sun is at it's zenith here and the resulting beam of light falls directly through the chimney, lighting up an image of a sun on the floor. -
El Castillo - 900 AD
El Castillo was a Mayan archaeoastronomical monlith constructed around 900 AD. El Castillo is a step-pyramid created to help worship their deities. It is especially important in ancient astronomy, because of it's unique characteristics. El Castillo has 4 sides, each of which contain 91 steps. These steps symbolize one day in their calendar, totaled to equal 365 days. During the Equinoxes, the sun strikes the northwest corner, and creates a shadow of a serpent. -
Uxmal - 950 AD
This step-pyramid, similar to El Castillo, was created to worship the Mayan deities. In particular, this pyramid was created to worship the god that they associated with Venus. The entire palace was manufactured to line up with the exact southern rising of Venus. Zodiacal runes on the sides of the pyramid suggest that the Mayans knew that the planet they were worshiping was in fact Venus. -
Caracol Tower - 1000 AD
Caracol Tower, located in Mexico near El Castillo, was a religious tower constructed around 1000AD. Therre is a spiral staircase with four doorways that align with the cardinal directions. In the upper room, there are openings that align with the Equnioxes, as well as the various locations of Venus. -
Uraniborg- 1580
Located in Denmark, on the Isle of Hven, this Danish castle was created primarily as an observatory. There was a papermill, earthenworks factory, libraries, and the latest astronomical equipment, created to determine accurate planetary positions. -
L'Observatoire de Paris - 1667 AD
Built in Paris, France, this observatory was created for the study of astronomy. At the center of the observatory lies the Meridian Building, which the French Meridian runs through. There are offices, laboratories, lecture halls, and housing for only the astronomers and the faculty. -
Royal Greenwich Observatory - 1672 AD
The Royal Greenwich Observatory was built in 1672, in Greenwich, England. This famous observatory was built to solve the problem of locating longitude. There are numerous buildings, which are devoted to different studies. There are 4 wings - the Magnetic and Meorlogical, Astro-photography, time, and the library. The observatory houses the Prime Meridian. -
Samrat Yantra - 1734 AD
Samrat Yantra, located at Jantar Mantar, India, houses the worlds largest sundial. The Samrat Yantra is 27 meters tall, and is accurate to a time of about 2 seconds. It was created in order to provide an accurate measurement of time for the country, and as a method of showing technological prowess. -
Berlin Observatory - 1771 AD
This observatory, created in Berlin, was one of the first observatories created in Germany. The observatory was as much a public facility as a library would be - it was open for the public to use, on appointment. There were very few astronomers in Berlin at the time, but this observatory opened up a new way for people to become familiar with the stars. -
Harvard College University Observatory - 1839 AD
Built on the Harvard Campus in Massachusetts, this observatory was revolutionary for it's time. The largest telescope of it's time, the Great Refractor, was built and housed on this campus. The wealth of information that the observatory collected is still important today - there were over 500,000 pictures taken from the last 1800s to the late 1900s. -
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory was created in Los Angeles, California, at the peak of Mount Wilson. The location allowed for an incredible view of the heavens. The observatory is famous for housing one of the world largest telescopes of its time - the Hooker Telescope. The Hooker Telescope was the largest telescope in the world from 1917 - 1948.
