Hello All! I have a question.....Does anyone have advice or information concerning how to set up a simple observatory for the upcoming Autumnal Equinox? I'm thinking of constructing some sort of cairn alignment that would mark either sunset/sunrise or both. Does anybody know about this? Thank you in advance for any advice.....
ok, here's what I think I might do....I'll just set up a large cairn at a spot where sunset and sunrise are both in view. With an assistant, I'll be able to site on a location for the spotting cairn at sunrise and sunset. I could also do this for both solstices and the vernal equinox, and I'd have your own little henge monument. Of course, I'm cheating, because I have a calendar to go off- something the ancients didn't have, but simply had to figure it out through observations. I'll have to figure out a place where the feds won't find it, since they get bent out of shape about such things. (I think only Native Americans are allowed to build cairns).
I think that it's a cool idea. And about only Native Americans being aloud to build cairns... I don't think they'll mind if you make one, if you're not Native American.
Thank you. I'm glad you liked my idea. I'm sorry to say I didn't do it-- things got too busy with my work. But, I intend to do it in the future- maybe at the winter solstice. Perhaps by then I'll have found more info on it......
If you do end up making it, take a pic and share it with the rest of us, it would be cool to see what you've come up with!
I've been thinking about it. I'm really getting into this because I've always had an interest in primitive astronomy. I need to find a good open place where the feds won't find my cairns, yet I'll have a good view of sunrise/sunset in all seasons. If the feds find my cairns, they'll tear them down (trust me, I know about this). Thanks for the interest, and I will keep you posted. Pax.
the most effective way would be incredibly time consuming and sleep-depriving, but it would work: you place a stick at the center of a circle of stones and stay awake all night. when the sun rises, take a stick and place it so the shadow of the stick falls exactly on the center of the circle. maybe take a nap, get some work done, then at sunset take another stick and align it in the same manner as previous. ... in the suburbs of philadelphia, there's a building called abington art center, which has a sculpture garden and has a yearly event at the sculpture "solstice tower" to celebrate the returning prescious minutes of sunlight.
Thanks all. I was just thinking of setting up a center stone with "sighting" stones on the perimeter so it would be just like looking down a gunsight at sunrise or sunset. What you propose is like a sundial, which is very interesting.....Thanks for the suggestion. I got that Winter solstice coming up and am trying to find a spot I can access in all seasons (I live in a semi-cold area of high elevation).
Build the cairn, Europeans did it all the time...but Native Americans just like to claim everything. You are just as entitled to anything they say is theirs....hell, the sweat lodge was being used in Europe before, or as long, as it has been on this continent.
