Sunday, December 30, 2012

We visit Aotearo's Henge

 We traveled with our family for Christmas, and stopped along the way for a visit at Stonehenge Aotearoa.  
This is a henge, constructed from concrete and stone, to measure the movements of the sun and stars and is calibrated for the exact longitude and latitude of its location in New Zealand.
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stonehenge/
We couldn't have been luckier, we visited the henge on Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the longest day of the year. It is a very significant day at Stonehenge Aotearoa, not only for astronomers, but for people who celebrate Solstice as part of their belief systems. There was going to be a big event at the Henge at sunset, but we had to keep traveling.

The seven standing stones measure the movements of the constellation known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades, Subaru and Matariki.


Can you see us at he bottom of these stones?

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