To the many generations who have gathered on the windswept Salisbury Plain in south-west England, the monumental stone circle known as Stonehenge (built around 4,500 years ago) has always offered a clear story about the sun — the central axis aligns with the sunrise during midsummer and the sunset during midwinter, the longest and shortest days of the year.
But what if the builders of Stonehenge also responded to the moon?
A lunar hypothesis in the spotlight
The idea that Stonehenge might record lunar as well as solar phenomena dates back to the 1960s, yet systematic study has been limited. Yahoo+3University of Leicester+3Yahoo News+3
This year, archaeologists and archaeoastronomers are seizing a rare opportunity: the upcoming major lunar standstill, a phenomenon that occurs every ~18.6 years, when the moon’s most extreme rising and setting positions are furthest apart. Wikipedia+2Orbital Today+2
What is a lunar standstill?
Much like the sun appears to rise and set farther north or south on the horizon at the solstices, the moon too has a shifting horizon track — it moves north to south over a month, but over roughly 18.6 years the extremes of that movement expand and contract. At a “major lunar standstill” the moon’s northernmost and southernmost rise/set points are at their greatest separation. Wikipedia+1
As one expert explains:
“The rise of the moon changes every day … If you were to look at these limits over a period of 19 years, you would notice that they change like an accordion: they expand to a maximum limit (the major lunar standstill) and then begin to contract to a minimum limit.” — Fabio Silva University of Leicester
Stonehenge under the lens
The new project, led by English Heritage in collaboration with researchers from the University of Leicester, Bournemouth University and the University of Oxford, aims to document the moon’s behaviour in and around the monument during this rare period of maximum lunar movement. University of Leicester+1
Key features under investigation include the four “station stones” – a rectangle of stones around the main circle of sarsens and bluestones – that may align roughly with the moon’s standstill extremes. University of Leicester+1
Also noted: cremated human remains deposited near the southeast of the site, which may correspond to the southernmost moonrise direction. Orbital Today+1
What this could mean
If Stonehenge’s builders intentionally incorporated moon-rise and moon-set extremes into the design, it would point to a far more sophisticated understanding of the sky — not just tracking the sun for seasons, but monitoring the longer lunar cycles. Some possibilities:
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An astronomical calendar that included the moon as well as the sun
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Ritual or burial significance attached to lunar directions
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A way to connect the monument to both solar and lunar cosmologies
The sceptic’s view
Not everyone is convinced. Some archaeologists caution that with any ancient monument there are many possible sightlines, and a few may align with lunar extremes by chance. Orbital Today
For instance, without solid records from the time of the monument’s construction, it remains difficult to prove intentionality.
The bottom line
We know Stonehenge is aligned with the sun. What this new work may reveal is whether the moon also played a role in the design and experience of the site — and whether past people marked a much longer lunar rhythm than previously assumed. The major lunar standstill gives researchers a once-in-a-generation chance to test the hypothesis, and perhaps deepen our understanding of ancient sky-watchers.