‘Rare’ major lunar standstill offers researchers chance to see if the moon also influenced Stonehenge’s design

It is well known that the builders of Stonehenge positioned the megalithic monument so that it aligns exactly with the sun during the solstices. But it has long been suspected that the builders also took the moon into account. And now the unique opportunity presents itself to explore that hypothesis further.

And scientists are determined to seize that opportunity. This year and next, researchers from the University of Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth, among others, will explore the alleged connection between Stonehenge and our natural satellite during the ‘great lunar standstill’ (see box).

The Great Lunar Standstill refers to a period when the spot on the horizon where the moon rises is farthest from the spot on the horizon where it sets. The great lunar standstill occurs every 18.6 years, making it a fairly rare phenomenon. The great lunar standstill begins this year and lasts until 2025.

Researchers have long suspected that the makers of Stonehenge were aware of the movements of the moon and may have adapted the design of the megalithic monument accordingly. This suspicion is based, among other things, on cremated human remains that were found in the earthen wall and so-called Aubrey Holes that are located around the famous Stonehenge stones. What was striking is that most of the remains are located in the southeastern part of the monument, towards the southernmost spot on the horizon where the moon rises during the great lunar standstill.

Stones Station
But that is not everything. Researchers see another strong indication that the builders of Stonehenge were influenced by the moon Stones Station. These four stones – two of which have been preserved – were located at the corners of an imaginary rectangle enclosing the large Stonehenge stones. And certainly one of the long sides of this rectangle is aligned with the southernmost point on the horizon where the moon rises during a major lunar standstill.

Discussion
“The four Stones Station are aligned with the extreme positions of the moon (which we see during a major lunar standstill, ed.) and scientists have been discussing for years whether this is intentional and – if so – how this was achieved and what the purpose,” says researcher Clive Ruggles. Researchers now hope to settle that discussion – thanks to the fact that the great lunar standstill will be present again this and next year. “We want to understand something about what it was like to experience these extreme moon rises and sets (at Stonehenge, ed.). And we want to witness the visual effects that these (extreme rises and sets, ed.) – for example through patterns of light and shadows – have on the stones,” says researcher Amanda Chadburn.

The research
“Teachers and students from Bournemouth University will document moonrises and moonsets at key times of the year when the moon aligns with the Stones Station,” explains researcher Fabio Silva. “This will be at different times of the day and at night throughout the year.” And the moon will also be in a different phase every time. “Some (of those phases, ed.) – such as a full moon or half moon – will have more dramatic effects than others,” Silva expects. “The research team will record it all, with the aim of exploring the complex relationship between the landscape, the rocks and the moon during the ‘great lunar standstill season’.”

That season runs from February 2024 to November 2025, with the moon aligned twice a month with the long side of the imaginary rectangle whose Stones Station mark the corners. It is expected to give researchers sufficient time and opportunity to further investigate the alleged relationship between the moon and Stonehenge.