The Sun shining through the Stonehenge monument. Sun rise on the summer solstice was the most important time the Sun would shine through the monument.
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Astronomy at Stonehenge
Simple astronomy was probably practiced at Stonehenge over 4,000 years ago. These ancient observers would especially observe the movement of the
Sun and
Moon across the sky.
Stonehenge actually lines up with the place the Sun rises on midsummer morning, the longest day of the year. It would have been important to know when this was going to happen, because it is a good marker of the seasons. And farmers need to know when seasons are going to change. That midsummer morning and the mornings around that time were probably big celebration days!
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