All language subtitles for The Universe S08E01 Stonehenge

STONEHENGE, ONE OF THE WORLD'S
OLDEST STRUCTURES.

ITS FOUNDATIONS PREDATE
THE GREAT PYRAMIDS.

IT IS ONE OF MANKIND'S
MOST ANCIENT MYSTERIES.

WHY IS IT HERE?

IS IT A TEMPLE?

A BURIAL GROUND?

A PLACE FOR SACRIFICE?

OR COULD THE MYSTERY OF
STONEHENGE BE REVEALED IN

ITS BUILDERS' DESIRE TO EXPLORE

THE UNKNOWN HEAVENS AND
TOUCH THE UNIVERSE?

USING THE CUTTING-EDGE
COMPUTER-GENERATED IMAGERY

THAT TAKES US INTO DEEP SPACE,
WE'LL ALSO GO INSIDE A VIRTUAL

STONEHENGE TO SEE WHAT
THE ANCIENTS SAW AND PUSH

THIS PREHISTORIC MARVEL TO GIVE
UP ITS AGE-OLD SECRETS.

ANCIENT MYSTERIES SHROUDED IN
THE SHADOWS OF TIME...

NOW CAN THEY FINALLY BE SOLVED
BY LOOKING TO THE HEAVENS?

THE TRUTH IS UP THERE,

HIDDEN AMONG THE STARS
IN A PLACE WE CALL

THE UNIVERSE.

THE UNIVERSE.

THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCLE OF STONES
CALLED STONEHENGE SITS ON

A SOUTHERN ENGLISH PLAIN

INSIDE AN EARTHEN
BANK 5,000 YEARS OLD.

IT WAS BUILT OVER 15 CENTURIES,
BEGUN BY STONE AGE FARMERS

AND HERDERS, LATER COMPLETED
BY GROUPS OF SUCCESSOR PEOPLES

WITH SOPHISTICATED
ENGINEERING SKILLS.

WHAT DROVE THEM TO BUILD IT?

WHAT IS STONEHENGE?

PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT IT'S
A GIANT TEMPLE, A WONDERFUL

MONUMENT SITTING OUT IN
THE SALISBURY PLAIN, WHERE

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COULD'VE
COME THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

TO WORSHIP WHAT?

GODS?

WE HAVE NO WRITTEN RECORDS.

WE TAKE WHAT WE CAN FROM

WHAT WE SEE AND ATTEMPT TO
FIND OUT WHAT IT IS.

WHAT WE SEE ARE

THE RUINS OF WHAT WAS
ONCE A COMPLEX ARRAY.

COULD THIS STRUCTURE MADE

OF EARTHLY ROCK ACTUALLY

HAVE BEEN DEVOTED TO WHAT

TAKES PLACE IN THE SKY?

WATCHING THE BRIGHT SUN
COME UP EVERY DAY,

THE MOON COME UP AND

CHANGE ITS SHAPE THROUGHOUT

THE WEEKS AND THE MONTHS,

MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE A SHOW.

WAS THIS THE HUBBLE
TELESCOPE OF ITS TIME?

THE FIRST CLUE TO THE MYSTERY

MAY COME FROM THE SUN.

EVERY JUNE, HUGE CROWDS GATHER

AT STONEHENGE IN A
STRANGE DAWN RITUAL.

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER,

THE SOLSTICE, LONGEST
DAY OF THE YEAR.

THE PEOPLE STARE INTENTLY

AT A GIANT BOULDER
CALLED THE HEEL STONE.

WHAT IS REMARKABLE ABOUT

THE CONSTRUCTION OF STONEHENGE

IS THAT ON THE FIRST DAY

OF SUMMER, IF YOU STAND AT

THE CENTER OF THE MONUMENT

AND ORIENT YOURSELF TOWARD

THE HEEL STONE, THEN AS THE SUN

RISES, YOU'LL SEE, ESSENTIALLY,

THE SUN COME UP JUST
OVER THE HEEL STONE.

THE PRECISION TO

WHICH THIS OCCURS YEAR AFTER

YEAR SEEMS MIRACULOUS.

IS IT JUST A COINCIDENCE,

OR DID THE ANCIENT BUILDERS PUT

THE MONSTROUS HEEL STONE IN JUST

THE RIGHT PLACE TO MARK THIS

DAY'S SUNRISE EVERY YEAR?

IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE RING.

IT'S OVER 200 FEET
OUTSIDE OF THE RING.

IT IS 16 FEET TALL.

IT'S PROBABLY GOT ANOTHER
FOUR FEET IN THE GROUND

JUST TO KEEP IT STABLE,

AND IT WEIGHS 35 TONS.

WAS STONEHENGE A SUN

TEMPLE WITH ITS FOCUS
AT THE HEEL STONE?

DO OTHER STONES POINT
TO THE SUN AS WELL?

THE RUINED MONUMENT WE SEE

TODAY IS INCOMPLETE,

SO THE ANSWERS MAY LIE IN

JUST HOW THE GIANT STONES

WERE ORIGINALLY ARRANGED.

THE MAIN RING WAS A SERIES

OF VERTICAL SLABS TOPPED

WITH HEAVY CROSSPIECES.

THESE LINTELS, AS WELL AS

THE UPRIGHTS, WERE MADE OF

SARSEN STONE, A TYPE OF

SANDSTONE COMMON TO THE AREA.

THE SARSEN CIRCLE IS

180 FEET ACROSS, 30 STONES.

AVERAGE WEIGHT CAN BE ANYWHERE

BETWEEN 20 AND 40 TONS.

THIS IS AS LARGE AS A FULLY

LOADED CEMENT TRUCK.

THIS CONSTRUCTION TASK BOGGLES

THE MIND EVEN TODAY.

INSIDE THE SARSEN

RING IS A HORSESHOE ARRANGEMENT

OF HEAVY STONE ARCHES, EACH

PIECE WEIGHING UP TO 50 TONS.

THEY'RE KNOWN BY A DECEPTIVELY

FORBIDDING NAME, THE TRILITHONS.

"TRILITHON" JUST MEANS

"THREE STONES," THREE STONES

IN THIS CONFIGURATION.

SO TWO GIANT STONES HAVE

BEEN STUCK INTO THE GROUND

WITH ANOTHER GIANT STONE

THEN CAREFULLY PLACED ON TOP.

TO WORK OUT THE LINK
BETWEEN THE STONES AND

THE SUN'S CHANGING PATH

THROUGH THE SKY, YOU WOULD NEED

TO VISIT STONEHENGE EVERY DAY

FOR A YEAR AND PLACE CAMERAS

IN DOZENS OF LOCATIONS,

BUT NOW THERE'S A BETTER

WAY TO LOOK AT STONEHENGE

FROM EVERY ANGLE THROUGH

THE POWER OF STATE-OF-THE-ART

COMPUTER GRAPHICS.

SO IN THE SIMULATION,

WE'RE PRESENT-DAY SUMMER
SOLSTICE SUNRISE.

WE'RE CAMMING OUT, COMING UP

OVER THE MONUMENT,
TAKING AT LOOK AT ITS

PRESENT STATE, ADVANCING

THE SUN AS WELL, SHADOWS COME

ACROSS THE SURFACE,
AND LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.

PROFESSOR JOHN

FILWALK HEADS UP IDIA LAB AT

INDIANA'S BALL STATE UNIVERSITY.

IT WAS STARTED AS PART OF

A $40 MILLION PROJECT TO

USE COMPUTERS TO VISUALIZE

WHAT OUR EYES CANNOT.

MASSIVE PROCESSING POWER

IMMERSES US IN THE ANCIENT

MONUMENT TO DECIPHER
THE MYSTERIES OF

THE SILENT STONES.

COME INTO THE SARSEN RING.

THEN WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE
TRILITHON IN THE BACK, THE MAIN ONE.

THREAD THE NEEDLE THERE.

MAYBE SPIN AROUND SO WE CAN
SEE THE FEATURES OUT THERE.

USING EXACT
MEASUREMENTS OF THE STONES

TAKEN BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS,

THE COMPUTER'S CAMERA CAN

MOVE AROUND A PRECISELY

RECONSTRUCTED
VIRTUAL STONEHENGE.

THE SIMULATION IS AS
ACCURATE AS CAN BE.

WE HAVE AN ACCURATE MODEL,

IT'S POSITIONED ACCURATELY,

AND THE DATA IS ALSO ACCURATE.

SO WHAT YOU'RE
OBSERVING IS PRECISE.

ASTRONOMICAL DATA
COMPILED BY NASA ADDS

THE POSITIONS OF EVERYTHING IN

THE SKY SEEN FROM THE STONES,

JUST AS IF YOU WERE
STANDING THERE.

AND BY TYPING IN A
DATE AND TIME OF DAY,

WE BOARD AN ELECTRONIC

TIME MACHINE THAT CARRIES US

TO ANY MOMENT IN THE PAST,

PRESENT, OR FUTURE.

WATCHING THE SUNRISE

POSITION CHANGE FROM MONTH

TO MONTH IS EFFORTLESS.

AT THIS POINT, LET'S ADVANCE

ONE MONTH AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

YOU CAN SEE THE SUN ROUGHLY

FRAMED BY THE SARSENS THERE.

IF WE PLACE THE

COMPUTER'S CAMERA IN THE

CENTER OF STONEHENGE,
ONE THING BECOMES

IMMEDIATELY CLEAR.

YOUR EYES ARE DRAWN
TO THE HORIZON.

MODERN MAN PAYS LITTLE

ATTENTION TO THE HORIZON.

IN OUR CITIES, IT ALL BUT

DISAPPEARS, BUT FOR ANCIENT

ASTRONOMERS TRACKING THE SUN,

THE HORIZON WAS A KEY
REFERENCE POINT.

IF YOU WANT TO DO
ASTRONOMY SIMPLY, IT'S REALLY

HARD TO FIND THINGS IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY,

TO ACCURATELY LOCATE THEM

WHEN THEY'RE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

BUT THE HORIZON'S A GREAT
PLACE TO TRY AND GET AN

ACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF

HOW THINGS ARE
CHANGING ON THE SKY.

ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS
COULD SEE THAT THE SUN

RISES AND SETS AT DIFFERENT

PLACES ON THE HORIZON
DURING THE YEAR.

BECAUSE THE EARTH'S AXIS

IS TILTED, THE NORTHERN

HEMISPHERE LEANS AWAY FROM

THE SUN IN WINTER,
MAKING THE SUNRISE SEEN

FROM STONEHENGE FARTHER SOUTH.

IN THE SUMMER, THE TILT IS

TOWARD THE SUN, MAKING

THE SUNRISE FARTHER NORTH.

WHEN IT RISES ON

THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER,

THE SUN IS AS FAR NORTH
AS IT EVER GETS.

ITS POSITION, IN FACT,

MAY HAVE BEEN SO IMPORTANT

AT STONEHENGE, THE CENTRAL

AXIS OF THE ENTIRE SITE POINTS

DIRECTLY AT IT.

BUT OTHER STONES
MARK THE SUN TOO.

TAKE, FOR INSTANCE, THE
MASSIVE TRILITHONS.

AND EACH ONE OF THOSE

APPEARS TO BE A SITE FOR

AN EVENT ON THE HORIZON,

SO FOR EXAMPLE, I CAN TURN

TO ONE OF THE TRILITHONS

ON THE SUNSET OF THE FIRST

DAY OF SUMMER AND WATCH THE SUN

SET RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE,

AND THE SUNLIGHT WILL COME
THROUGH LIKE A DAGGER,

RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF THE MONUMENT,
RIGHT TO WHERE I'M STANDING.

BUT THE SUMMER

SUNRISE OVER THE HEEL STONE HAS

ALWAYS SEEMED THE MOST
IMPORTANT MARKER.

IT'S IN LINE WITH THE

CEREMONIAL APPROACH
CALLED "THE AVENUE."

THE CROWDS FACE NORTHEAST,

LOOKING DOWN THE AVENUE,

TO WITNESS THE EVENT EACH YEAR.

BUT NEW EVIDENCE NOW SUGGESTS

THAT THE TRUE MAIN EVENT AT

STONEHENGE PLAYS OUT IN

A TOTALLY DIFFERENT DIRECTION

IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MONTH.

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
THE MONUMENT WE KNOW AS

STONEHENGE HAS DEFIED
DEFINITION, BUT TODAY, MANY

BELIEVE IT WAS AN EARLY
ASTRONOMERS' SITE.

WAS THIS A PREHISTORIC

OBSERVATORY WITH A SPIRITUAL

CONNECTION TO THE
CYCLES OF THE UNIVERSE?

EXACTLY WHAT WAS IT
ITS BUILDER SAW?

THE ANNUAL ARRIVAL OF THE

CROWDS CELEBRATING SUNRISE

IN THE NORTHEAST ON SUMMER'S

FIRST DAY SUPPORT THE NOTION

THAT THIS WAS THE
MAIN EVENT HERE.

BUT NEW EVIDENCE TURNS

THIS THEORY UPSIDE DOWN.

IT SUGGESTS THAT ASTRONOMER

PRIESTS CONDUCTED THEIR MOST

SACRED RITES IN THE
OTHER DIRECTION.

A HIGH-TECH LASER SCAN IN

2011 REVEALED SOMETHING

TOTALLY NEW ABOUT THE
MAIN SARSEN CIRCLE.

THE SARSENS SEEM TO
HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY

CAREFULLY WORKED TO LOOK

THEIR MOST BEAUTIFUL ON THAT

APPROACH FROM THE NORTHEAST

AND AS YOU GO INTO THE MONUMENT,

NOT LOOKING FROM THE
OTHER DIRECTION.

BUT WHAT
HAPPENS AS WE DO LOOK IN

THAT OTHER DIRECTION?

THE SUN IS BEHIND US.

THE STONES CAST THEIR
SHADOWS AHEAD.

WERE THE STONEHENGE BUILDERS

SUN WORSHIPPERS WHO WARNED US,

"LOOK AWAY FROM THE
POWERFUL GOD"?

OR COULD IT BE THAT THE CROWD

IS NOT ONLY FACING THE WRONG

WAY, THEY ARE HERE
ON THE WRONG DAY?

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

IF WE SPIN FORWARD

IN TIME, HALF A YEAR OF

SUNRISES AND SUNSETS HAVE GONE

BY, AND WE REACH THE MOMENT

WHEN THE SUN AGAIN APPEARS

DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US.

IT HAPPENS IN DECEMBER ON

THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER,

WHEN WE SEE NOT THE SUNRISE,

BUT THE SUNSET.

ONLY ONE LEG OF THE LARGEST

TRILITHON STILL STANDS,

BUT IN ANTIQUITY, IT FULLY

FRAMED THE BREATHTAKING EVENT.

WAS THE BRILLIANT WINTER SUNSET

AN OBJECT OF SPECIAL WORSHIP?

IF YOU WALK UP TO A CHURCH,
YOU DON'T GET INTO THE CHURCH

AND THEN TURN ROUND TO SEE
THE ALTAR BEHIND YOU.

THE SACRED STUFF IS AHEAD

OF YOU, AND BY THAT SAME

ARGUMENT, YOU MIGHT EXPECT THAT

THE SACRED STUFF AT STONEHENGE

IS GOING TO BE AHEAD OF YOU,
TO THE SOUTHWEST.

THE NEW DISCOVERY

UPENDS OUR ASSUMPTIONS.

IF WINTER SUNSET WAS MOST

IMPORTANT, WHAT OTHER SECRETS OF

THE UNIVERSE ARE HIDDEN
WITHIN STONEHENGE?

FOR ANSWERS, WE MUST PUSH PAST

THE STONES POINTING TO

THE SUNRISES AND SUNSETS

THAT HAVE DOMINATED
OBSERVATIONS HERE.

OUTSIDE THE MAIN SARSEN CIRCLE

WERE FOUR STATION STONES

LAID OUT IN A RECTANGLE.

THEIR POSITIONS STRONGLY

SUGGEST THEY WERE MEANT AS

SIGHT LINE MARKERS TO SOMETHING.

BUT WHAT?

IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT

THE SIDES OF THAT RECTANGLE,

THEY JUST MISS THE STONES

OF THE SARSEN MONUMENT.

NOW, ONLY TWO OF THESE STATION
STONES ARE LEFT NOW, BUT IF YOU

HAD ALL FOUR OF THEM AND YOU
LOOKED ALONG ONE SIDE,

YOU'D HAVE JUST SEEN ONE

CORNER FROM THE OTHER.

TO SOLVE THE

MYSTERY OF THE STATION STONES,

WE RETURN TO THE COMPUTER LAB.

WE SET UP THE VIRTUAL CAMERA

BEHIND ONE STONE AND AIM AT

ANOTHER ACROSS THE LONG SIDE OF

THE STATION STONE RECTANGLE.

WE TURN DAY INTO NIGHT,

AND SUDDENLY, WE SEE THE MOON.

AS IT SETS JUST BEHIND

THE DISTANT STONE, THE SECRET

BEGINS TO REVEAL ITSELF.

THE STATION STONES MAY POINT

TO THE STRANGE
TRAVELS OF THE MOON.

IN ANY GIVEN MONTH, YOU'LL
SEE THE MOON DO WHAT THE SUN

DOES IN A YEAR.

IT GOES TO THE NORTH
AND GOES TO THE SOUTH.

THE MOON ITSELF

DOES NOT TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH

ACROSS THE HORIZON.

WHAT WE OBSERVE IS THE TRAVEL

OF THE PLACES WHERE THE MOON

RISES AND SETS EVERY DAY.

ONE BACK-AND-FORTH CYCLE

TAKES PLACE EVERY MONTH.

WITH THE STATION STONES

POINTING TO LUNAR POSITIONS

AND OTHER STONES AIMED AT

THE SUN, SOME RESEARCHERS

AND SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE

STONEHENGE WAS DESIGNED
FOR A DUAL PURPOSE.

RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING,

IT WAS A LUNISOLAR OBSERVATORY

OR TEMPLE OR A MONUMENT

TO TRACK THE SUN AND THE MOON

POSITIONS ON THE HORIZON.

BUT MOON TRACKING

IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT THAN

WATCHING THE SUN.

HOW COULD STONEHENGE'S

ASTRONOMERS HAVE UNDERSTOOD

THE COMPLEX CYCLES OF THE MOON?

EVEN TODAY'S ASTRONOMERS HAVE

TROUBLE VISUALIZING HOW LUNAR

MOTIONS IN SPACE TRANSLATE

INTO THE MOON'S MARCH ACROSS

THE HORIZON AS IT RISES
AND SETS ON EARTH.

THINK OF YOURSELF IN

A ROCKET SHIP OUT IN SPACE,

LOOKING AT THE EARTH AND MOON.

WE KNOW THE EARTH IS ROTATING

ON A TILTED AXIS, BUT AT

THE SAME TIME, THE MOON

REVOLVES AROUND THE EARTH

IN AN ORBIT THAT HAS
A TILT OF ITS OWN.

BUT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE MOON

LOOKS TO US FROM EARTH'S

SURFACE, I ACTUALLY LIKE

TO TURN THE PICTURE AROUND,

WITH THE EARTH ON ITS SIDE

AND THE MOON AT ITS SOUTHERNMOST

POINT ON ITS TILTED ORBIT.

IF WE ZOOM INTO EARTH'S SURFACE

AND LOOK AT THE HORIZON,

WE CAN SEE WHY THE MOON

WOULD APPEAR TO BE RISING

IN THE EAST, BUT ALSO, FOR NOW,

OFF TO THE SOUTH TO SOME DEGREE.

SEEING THE MOON IN

THE SOUTHEAST, THE STONEHENGE

ASTRONOMERS WOULD NEXT HAVE

WATCHED FOR IT TO REACH

THE NORTH END OF THE HORIZON.

THE MOON TAKES ABOUT A MONTH

TO GO AROUND THE EARTH,

SO IN HALF THAT TIME,

ABOUT TWO WEEKS, THE MOON

IS AT THE OTHER
SIDE OF ITS ORBIT.

NOW, IF WE GO BACK OUT INTO

SPACE, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS,

BUT TO SEE HOW IT LOOKS

FROM EARTH'S SURFACE,
WE HAVE TO SWING OUR

ROCKET SHIP ALL THE WAY

AROUND TO THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE PLANET.

WHEN WE DO THAT, WE CAN SEE

THE MOON RISING IN THE EAST

AGAIN, BUT NOW IT'S OFF TO

THE NORTH BY SOME AMOUNT

INSTEAD OF TO THE SOUTH.

BUT IN AIMING THEIR

STONES, THE BUILDERS OF

STONEHENGE MAY HAVE ALSO

DISCOVERED A SUBTLE SECRET IN

THE RANGE OF THE MOON'S MOTION.

THE REMARKABLE THING IS,

OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT

18.61 YEARS, THIS RANGE
ACTUALLY CHANGES,

SO AFTER ABOUT NINE YEARS,
IT'LL DECREASE A BIT,

AND THEN IN ANOTHER NINE YEARS, IT'LL
GO BACK TO WHAT IT WAS BEFORE.

SO THE RANGE OF LUNAR RISINGS
IS ACTUALLY CHANGING,

LIKE AN ACCORDION SLIDING

BACK AND FORTH OVER TIME,

WITH A VERY WELL-DEFINED CYCLE.

OVER THE COURSE OF

ITS MONTHLY SWINGS, THE MOON

WILL REACH TWO EXTREME

NORTH/SOUTH POSITIONS IN ITS

NARROW RANGE AND A DIFFERENT

PAIR IN ITS WIDE RANGE,

FOUR EXTREME POSITIONS IN ALL,

AND THESE ARE THE TARGETS

AT WHICH STONEHENGE'S
BUILDERS APPARENTLY

POINTED THEIR STONES.

THE LUNAR CONNECTION
SHOWED UP IN 1961,

WHEN BOSTON UNIVERSITY

ASTRONOMER GERALD HAWKINS

DID THE FIRST COMPUTER

CALCULATIONS OF SIGHT
LINES AT STONEHENGE.

HIS FINDINGS TURNED

THE ANCIENT RUIN INTO A SYMBOL

OF MANKIND'S QUEST TO CONNECT

TO THE UNIVERSE.

HAWKINS'S CONCLUSIONS
REMAIN CONTROVERSIAL,

BUT MANY SCIENTISTS STILL

RESPECT THE ACCURACY
OF HIS WORK.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY

DOUBTS THE INTEGRITY OF

HIS SURVEYING WORK AND HIS

CALCULATIONS, AND CERTAINLY

SOME OF THAT WAS DUPLICATED,

AGAIN, NOT JUST BY OTHERS

BUT BY HAWKINS HIMSELF.

BUT COULD A CULTURE
WITHOUT WRITING,

A PEOPLE WITH ONLY
ORAL TRADITIONS,

HAVE BUILT UP THE KNOWLEDGE
TO DEVELOP SUCH A KEEN

UNDERSTANDING OF THE
MOON AND ITS MOTIONS?

I THINK IT'S AN ISSUE

OF HOW LONG THAT CYCLE IS.

A CYCLE THAT'S, SAY, AROUND

18 YEARS LONG STILL IS NOT
SO LONG THAT IT COULDN'T BE

PASSED ON ORALLY FROM

GENERATION TO GENERATION.

THE 18.61 YEARS IN

THE MOON'S CYCLE MAY HAVE

FIGURED IN A BIZARRE NUMERICAL

CODE THAT REMAINS ONE OF

STONEHENGE'S MOST
ENDURING MYSTERIES.

IT IS ONLY ONE OF MANY

ON OUR JOURNEY TO UNCOVER

STONEHENGE'S TRUE PURPOSE,

LIKE THE MYSTERY OF
THE MISSING ROCKS,

HOLES IN THE GROUND WHERE

STONES HAVE DISAPPEARED.

WE ARE SEPARATED
FROM THE BUILDERS OF STONEHENGE

BY 5,000 YEARS OR MORE.

HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY

REALLY MEANT TO DO,

SO LONG BEFORE MODERN SCIENCE

BEGAN REVEALING THE
NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE?

THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ANCIENT

BRITONS IS AWESOME.

BUT IS THERE ENOUGH LEFT

OF STONEHENGE TO TELL
US THE WHOLE STORY?

WHAT WE SEE OF STONEHENGE

IS JUST HALF, OR LESS,

OF WHAT STONEHENGE
REALLY ONCE WAS.

FORTUNATELY,

STONEHENGE HIDES SOME OF

ITS GREATEST MYSTERIES

UNDERGROUND, WHERE SIGNS OF

ITS MANY MISSING STONES SURVIVE.

THERE ARE MARKS THERE
OF THINGS THAT ARE NO

LONGER THERE!

WE HAVE TO SPECULATE.

SO WHAT YOU CAN DO IS,

YOU CAN SCRAPE OFF THE SURFACE

TO GET TO THE CHALK BEDROCK.

TO SET THESE STONES INTO

THE LANDSCAPE AT STONEHENGE

REQUIRED MAKING A SOCKET DOWN

INTO THE CHALK TO KEEP THESE

GIANT BIG STONES STEADY.

THOSE SOCKETS ARE STILL THERE.

WHILE SOME SOCKETS

HELD THE BIG ROCKS, OTHERS

HELD WOODEN POLES, AND THERE

ARE HUNDREDS OF THEM.

WERE THESE ASTRONOMICAL MARKERS?

ALONG WITH THE STONES THAT

STILL REMAIN, THEY WOULD HAVE

REPRESENTED THE ADVANCED

TECHNOLOGY OF THEIR TIME.

IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT,

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OF OUR

OWN TIME MAY WELL BECOME

A PUZZLE FOR THE FUTURE.

5,000 YEARS FROM NOW,

IF ALL OTHER CLUES HAVE

DISAPPEARED, WHAT MIGHT

PEOPLE THINK OF THIS?

WOW, LOOK AT THAT THING.

IT'S AMAZING.

WHAT IS THAT?

I WOULD IMAGINE A FUTURE
ARCHAEOASTRONOMER WOULD

FAIRLY QUICKLY ASSUME IT'S SOME
SORT OF CEREMONIAL SITE.

THEY WOULD SEE A MONUMENTAL

METAL STRUCTURE.

MAYBE IT FUNCTIONED AS SOME

SORT OF SUNDIAL, MAYBE A PLACE

OF GATHERING SINCE THERE'S

NO OTHER HABITATION IN THE AREA.

ALL I COULD THINK OF IS,

LOOK WHERE I AM STANDING.

I'M STANDING IN A HUGE DESERT.

I'VE GOT A HORIZON 360

DEGREES AROUND.

IT JUST FEELS LIKE IT'S

A MONUMENT TO THE SKY,

BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE MY

EYES ARE CONCENTRATING,

IS THE HUGE SKY THAT
I'M SEEING ABOVE ME.

MODERN ASTRONOMERS,

OF COURSE, CAN
IDENTIFY IT INSTANTLY.

THIS IS REALLY STATE-OF-THE-ART.

25-METER, 82-FOOT-ACROSS,

DISH-SHAPED RADIO TELESCOPE.

THIS MODERN

OBSERVATORY CONCEALS A CLUE

ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS HOLES IN

THE CHALK BENEATH THE
TURF AT STONEHENGE.

IN RADIO ASTRONOMY,
SCIENTISTS CONSTANTLY

ADJUST THEIR TELESCOPES BY

SIGHTING DISTANT,

ULTRA-BRIGHT GALACTIC CORES

CALLED QUASARS TO
CALIBRATE THEIR READINGS.

DID THE STONEHENGERS GO THROUGH

A SIMILAR TWEAKING PROCESS?

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
HOLES THAT HAVE BEEN DUG

INTO THE GAP IN THE DITCH

IN THE BANK THAT
SURROUNDS STONEHENGE.

THE HOLES ARE AMONG

MANY THAT HELD WOODEN POSTS,

EASIER TO MOVE THAN
THE GIANT STONES.

WHAT'S INTERESTING IS
THAT THEY'RE ON THAT MAIN

ALIGNMENT THAT WE KNOW IS

CRITICAL TO STONEHENGE,

BECAUSE IT'S THE RISING OF

THE SUMMER SOLSTICE SUN.

IT'S THE SETTING OF

THE WINTER SOLSTICE SUN.

WE'VE GOT THIS
BEAUTIFUL ALIGNMENT.

SO WHAT ARE THESE HOLES?

I GOTTA WONDER IF PERHAPS

THIS WAS FINE-TUNING

THE POSITIONING OF MARKERS

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE MONUMENT.

BUT FOUR HOLES

HIDDEN BENEATH THE TURF NEAR

THE HEEL STONE MAY HAVE AIMED

NOT FOR THE SUN, BUT THE MOON.

THEY SHOW HOW STONEHENGERS

MIGHT HAVE TRIED TO FIND A PLACE

FOR A WOODEN POST THAT WOULD

POINT TO THE MOON WHEN IT

ROSE AT THE FARTHEST POINT

NORTH IT EVER REACHED
ON THE HORIZON.

AT IDIA LAB, COMPUTER EXPERTS

DIAL IN THE COORDINATES FOR

THEIR VIRTUAL STONEHENGE TO

SHOW HOW THE ANCIENT OBSERVATORY

MAY HAVE BEEN CALIBRATED.

THE ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS

KNEW, GENERALLY, THE MOST

NORTHERN POSITION OF

THE MOONRISE, BUT THEY NEEDED

SOME MEANS OF FINE-TUNING THAT.

BY PLACING WOODEN

POSTS IN THE FOUR POLES,

STONEHENGERS MAY HAVE EXPECTED

ONE OF THEM TO BE CLOSE TO

THE MOST NORTHERN MOONRISE.

VIRTUAL STONEHENGE COMPUTES

THE MOON'S POSITION AND
REVEALS THE SECRET.

AT THE FOURTH HOLE FROM

THE POSITION OF THE SARSEN

CIRCLE CENTER, WE ACTUALLY
DO SEE A PRECISE ALIGNMENT.

WHO WERE THESE

PEOPLE APPARENTLY SO INTENT ON

TRACKING THE SUN AND MOON?

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS THE TRANSITION FROM

THE OLD STONE AGE TO THE NEW

STONE AGE, AND THE ESSENTIAL

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW STONE AGE

WAS HUMAN BEINGS
DOMESTICATING THEMSELVES.

THEY WERE STAYING IN ONE PLACE,

AND THEY WERE STARTING TO FARM.

THESE SEMI-NOMADIC

FARMERS AND HERDERS
WERE THE FIRST TO START

BUILDING AT STONEHENGE.

THEY DUG THE CIRCULAR DITCH

AND BANK AROUND 3,000 B.C.,

PERHAPS EVEN EARLIER.

AN OPENING IN THE NORTHEAST

FACED THE SUMMER SUNRISE.

OVER THE NEXT 1,500 YEARS,

SUCCESSOR TRIBES ADDED

THE BIG STONES, ARRANGING

AND REARRANGING THEM INTO

THE ARRAY WHOSE
RUINS REMAIN TODAY.

IF ASTRONOMICAL ALIGNMENTS

WERE IN FACT BUILT INTO

STONEHENGE, WHY WAS TRACKING

THE SUN AND MOON IMPORTANT?

SO MANY OTHER CULTURES
WORSHIPPED THE SUN AND

THE MOON AS GODS, SO IT'S NOT

A HUGE LEAP TO THEN ASSUME

THAT THE PEOPLE OF STONEHENGE

WERE ALSO WORSHIPPING THE SUN

AND THE MOON AS GODS.

EARLY MAN WATCHED

THE SUN AND MOON TO KEEP TIME

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

BEFORE STONEHENGE, BUT HERE,

THE COUNTING OF THE DAYS

AND YEARS MAY HAVE BEEN

AN ANCIENT SACRAMENT.

THE SKY WAS THE FIRST

CLOCK, BUT IN MANY WAYS,

STONEHENGE AND THE MONUMENTS

LIKE IT WERE A WAY OF CREATING

A CULTURE THAT RITUALIZED TIME

IN SOME SENSE.

OVER 15 CENTURIES,

STONEHENGE'S BUILDERS DUG HOLES,

HAULED STONES, SHIFTED THEM

AROUND, ADDED SOME,
SUBTRACTED OTHERS.

WAS THIS THE REALM OF
ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS?

OR WAS IT THE LAIR OF A SECRET

CULT IN A LONG LOST RELIGION

WITH ITS FAITH FOUNDED IN
SCIENCE?

THE ENDURING
MYSTERY OF STONEHENGE MAY

REST NOT WITH ITS MASSIVE

ROCKS BUT IN THE COSMIC

PATTERNS OF THE UNIVERSE.

N SO WELL TO THE SUNTHE STONES

AND MOON, IT SEEMS LIKE

AN ANCIENT OBSERVATORY,

BUT AT A TIME WHEN HUMAN

CULTURES WERE DOMINATED BY

STRANGE GODS AND SUPERSTITIONS,

DID STONEHENGE'S FARMERS

AND HERDERS ACHIEVE
SOME OF MANKIND'S FIRST

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES?

AGRICULTURE WAS A TECHNOLOGY,
BUT IT COULDN'T BE SEPARATED

FROM THE SENSE OF THE MYTHIC,
OF THE SENSE OF THE RELIGIOUS,

THE SENSE OF THAT THERE WERE
SACRED POWERS BEING INVOKED

EVERY TIME YOU PLANTED
SEEDS IN THE GROUND.

SO THE IDEA THAT ALL THAT
WAS HAPPENING HERE WAS

RELIGION IS A MISTAKE,
JUST LIKE SAYING ALL THAT

WAS HAPPENING THERE WAS
SOME KIND OF PROTO-SCIENCE

IS ALSO A MISTAKE.
YOU COULDN'T SEPARATE THEM

OUT FOR THESE CULTURES.

WITHOUT WRITTEN
RECORDS, THE STONES ARE OUR

ONLY EVIDENCE OF THE MONUMENT'S

CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSE.

TODAY WE THINK OF ASTRONOMERS

AS SCIENTISTS, PRECISION

OBSERVERS WHO ATTACK
THE MYSTERIES OF SPACE

WITH PRECISION INSTRUMENTS.

DID THEY INHERIT THE LEGACY

LEFT BY THE ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS

AND THEIR STONES?

ALL OF THESE ARE ACTUALLY

PRECISION-BUILT FOR THEIR

TECHNOLOGY 5,000 YEARS AGO.

THAT'S THE REASON WHY SOME OF
THEM ARE STILL STANDING TODAY.

THEY WERE THAT
WELL PUT TOGETHER.

BUT JUST HOW

PRECISE WAS THIS
PRECISION-BUILT MONUMENT?

THE SUN AND MOON SIGHT LINES

AMONG STONEHENGE'S ROCKS ARE

ACCURATE TO ABOUT ONE DEGREE.

THERE'S A SIMPLE TRICK

WE ASTRONOMERS USE FOR

ESTIMATING ONE
DEGREE IN THE SKY.

IF YOU HOLD OUT YOUR PINKY
FINGER AT ARM'S LENGTH AND

LOOK AT HOW WIDE IT APPEARS,

THAT'S ABOUT ONE DEGREE.

NOW, THE SUN AND THE MOON

ARE EACH ABOUT 1/2 DEGREE

IN SIZE, SO YOUR PINKY FINGER

IS ABOUT TWICE THE WIDTH OF

THE SUN OR THE MOON.

IN TODAY'S WORLD,

WHAT WE CALL PRECISION IS

MUCH MORE DEMANDING.

A DEGREE 5,000 YEARS AGO

WAS PROBABLY GOOD ENOUGH

FOR WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO.

THESE DAYS, WE TALK ABOUT
LOCATING THINGS IN THE SKY

TO ACCURACIES OF FRACTIONS

OF AN ARC SECOND, AND AN ARC

SECOND IS A FEW
THOUSANDTHS OF A DEGREE.

BUT AT STONEHENGE,

WAS ONE DEGREE ENOUGH?

THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS EACH

YEAR WILL SWEAR THAT THE

SUN RISES DIRECTLY ABOVE

THE HEEL STONE, BUT ONE-DEGREE

ACCURACY GIVES THEM
SOME WIGGLE ROOM.

AS THE VIRTUAL STONEHENGE

DEMONSTRATES, IF THE SUN AND

THE HEEL STONE DON'T QUITE

LINE UP, A SIMPLE STEP TO

ONE SIDE IS ALL IT TAKES TO

MAKE IT GOOD ENOUGH.

TO SEE THE SUN RISING
FROM STONEHENGE OVER

THE HEEL STONE TODAY,
YOU JUST GO TO THE CENTER

OF THE MONUMENT AND WAIT
FOR THE SUN TO COME UP,

AND OF COURSE, IT'LL DO THAT.

AND IF YOU'RE OFF TO THE SIDE
A FEW FEET, WELL, IT'LL BE OFF

A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'LL BE
CLOSE ENOUGH FOR MOST PEOPLE,

BECAUSE THEY'RE AT THE SOLSTICE,
AND THEY'RE AT STONEHENGE.

AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS,
BECAUSE THE SUN IS COMING UP

AND PEOPLE ARE CHARMED

BY THE CONVERGENCE OF
ALL OF THESE DETAILS.

PRECISELY OBSERVING

THE SUNRISE AT STONEHENGE IS

COMPLICATED BY THE SLANTED

PATH THE SUN TAKES
THROUGH THE SKY.

WHEN THE SUN FIRST BREAKS

THE HORIZON, IT IS JUST TO

THE LEFT OF THE HEEL STONE.

RISING ON A SLANTED PATH,

IT TRAVELS UP AND TO THE RIGHT,

EVENTUALLY APPEARING OVER

THE HEEL STONE LIKE A
GOLF BALL ON A TEE.

THE SUMMER SUNRISE
ALIGNMENT HAS TROUBLED

OBSERVERS WHO POINT OUT

THAT TODAY'S HEEL STONE IS

TILTED AND ONCE STOOD TALLER.

IN ADDITION, WHEN WE PUNCH IN

A SUMMER SUNRISE FROM
5,000 YEARS AGO,

OUR COMPUTER SIMULATION

SHOWS THE SUN RISING EVEN

FARTHER TO THE LEFT.

DOES THIS SERIOUSLY CHALLENGE

THE PRECISION OF STONEHENGE?

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T
REALIZE IS THAT THERE WAS

A COMPANION STONE, ALMOST

CERTAINLY, TO THE HEEL STONE.

IT IS ANOTHER ONE

OF THE MONUMENT'S
MISSING STONES.

THE CHALK HOLE IN WHICH IT

STOOD WAS DISCOVERED IN 1979,

WHEN A DITCH HAD TO BE DUG

FOR A LOCAL TELEPHONE LINE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCAVATED

AHEAD OF THE CONSTRUCTION CREW,

AND A LONG-HIDDEN SECRET

OF STONEHENGE WAS REVEALED.

ITS EXISTENCE MAY SOLVE

THE PUZZLING DISCREPANCY

SURROUNDING
STONEHENGE'S ACCURACY.

WE DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN
THE TWO STONES STOOD TOGETHER,

BUT IT SEEMS HIGHLY LIKELY,
GIVEN THE SYMMETRY OF THINGS.

THESE STONES WOULD'VE
STOOD SYMMETRICALLY.

MIDSUMMER SUNRISE WOULD HAVE

RISEN EXACTLY BETWEEN THEM.

ACCURACY IN
OBSERVING POSITIONS OF THE SUN

AND MOON IS THE DOMAIN OF SPACE,

BUT THE STONEHENGERS
MIGHT HAVE ALSO SOUGHT

PRECISION IN PROBING
THE MYSTERIES OF TIME.

THE CYCLE OF THE SUN WAS

ONE TOOL, AND THE
MOON, EVEN BETTER.

IN TERMS OF TRACKING TIME,
THE MOON MAY HAVE BEEN MORE

IMPORTANT TO EARLY PEOPLES

THAN THE SUN, BECAUSE WHAT

HAPPENS WITH THE MOON?

THE MOON GOES THROUGH THIS
REMARKABLE CHANGE IN PHASES,

FROM NEW, TO WHERE IT'S

COMPLETELY INVISIBLE, TO FULL,

AND BACK AGAIN.

THE MOON'S CYCLE OF

PHASES TAKES 29 1/2 DAYS,

A TIME SPAN THAT SHOWS UP

AT STONEHENGE IN THE 30

"Y" HOLES AND 29 "Z" HOLES.

THE HOLES WERE DISCOVERED

IN 1923 AND SURROUND
THE MAIN STONE RING.

BY COUNTING 29 DAYS IN ONE

MONTH AND 30 IN ANOTHER,

THE EARLY ASTRONOMERS KEPT

PACE WITH THE 29 1/2
DAY LUNAR CYCLE.

BUT COUNTING THE VARIOUS

RINGS AND ROWS OF STONES

AND HOLES AT STONEHENGE

DRIVES US EVEN DEEPER
INTO ITS MYSTERY.

WHY ARE THERE 19 STONES
IN ONE ARRANGEMENT?

WHY ARE THERE 56
HOLES IN ANOTHER?

COULD THESE NUMBERS HIDE
AN ANCIENT CODE WITH

THE POWER TO PREDICT FUTURE
EVENTS IN THE UNIVERSE?

THE SKY AND STONEHENGE APPEAR
TO BE SILENT PARTNERS.

NO USER MANUAL EXISTS,

BECAUSE THE STONEHENGERS
HAD NO WRITING.

STILL, THEY MAY HAVE LEFT US
A SECRET ASTRONOMICAL MESSAGE

ENCODED IN NUMBERS.

CONSIDER THE NUMBER OF FOUR GROUPS OF
STONES AND HOLES: 19, 29, 30, AND 56.

WHAT COULD THESE NUMBERS MEAN?

THESE ARE NUMBERS THAT
ONLY DESCRIBE THE PERIODICITIES

THAT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH ONE

UNIQUE ASTRONOMICAL OBJECT,
AND THAT IS THE MOON.

WHILE THE 29 AND 30
"Y" AND "Z" HOLES REPRESENT

THE LUNAR MONTH, 19 SMALL BLUE
STONES INSIDE THE BIG SARSEN

CIRCLE REPRESENT THE MOON'S
LONG-KNOWN METONIC CYCLE.

LET'S SAY WE HAVE A FULL
MOON ON JULY 4TH OF THIS YEAR.

WELL, NEXT YEAR, THE MOON WON'T
BE FULL ON JULY 4TH.

IT'LL BE SOME OTHER PHASE.

TO HAVE A FULL MOON ON
JULY 4TH AGAIN, YOU NEED

TO WAIT 19 YEARS, AND
THAT'S THE METONIC CYCLE.

BUT THE MYSTERY OF
A MOON-BASED CODE GOES EVEN

DEEPER AT STONEHENGE.

THERE'S ANOTHER HIDDEN NUMBER
IN A LARGE OUTER CIRCLE

FORMED BY THE BAFFLING
AUBREY HOLES.

THE AUBREY HOLES ARE
NAMED FOR JOHN AUBREY,

WHO IN THE 1600s WAS ONE

OF THE FIRST PEOPLE
TO NOTICE THESE FUNNY

INDENTATIONS OUTSIDE THE
STONE CIRCLE AT STONEHENGE.

THEY ARE A SET OF 56 PITS.

THEY'RE EVENLY SPACED IN

A PERFECT CIRCLE JUST INSIDE
THE DITCH AND BANK.

THE FACT THAT
THE HOLES NUMBER 56 HINTS

AT WHAT MAY BE STONEHENGE'S

MOST CONTROVERSIAL THEORY.

THEY'VE BEEN THOUGHT,
BY SOME, TO BE PART OF

AN ASTRONOMICAL COMPUTER,
THAT THE 56 HOLES COULD BE

USED TO MARK THE 18.6-YEAR
CYCLE AND 56-YEAR CYCLES

THAT UNDERLIE ECLIPSE
PREDICTIONS.

WHAT COULD
THE NUMBER 56 AT STONEHENGE

HAVE TO DO WITH
PREDICTING ECLIPSES?

IF 56 IS A LUNAR NUMBER,
IT MUST RELATE TO THE FULL MOON,

BECAUSE WITHOUT IT, THERE CAN
NEVER BE A LUNAR ECLIPSE.

SUPPOSE THE EARTH IS HERE
AND THE SUN IS OVER THERE.

YOU CAN HAVE A FULL MOON
ONLY WHEN THE MOON IS ON

THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE EARTH

RELATIVE TO THE SUN,
SO IT WOULD BE OVER HERE.

NOW, IF THE MOON, EARTH,
AND SUN ARE EXACTLY IN

A STRAIGHT LINE, THE EARTH
WILL CAST A SHADOW ON THE MOON,

AND THAT'S CALLED
A LUNAR ECLIPSE.

THE STONEHENGE
ECLIPSE COMPUTER, WITH ITS 56

AUBREY HOLES, MAY HAVE
WORKED LIKE THIS.

AFTER ONE LUNAR ECLIPSE,

THE CHALLENGE WAS TO FIGURE

WHEN IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN.

AFTER 19 YEARS IN THE METONIC
CYCLE, THE MOON WAS FULL

ON THE SAME DATE BUT AT

A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
POSITION IN THE SKY.

WHEN WOULD IT BE NOT ONLY FULL

BUT IN EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT
LINED UP WITH THE EARTH

AND SUN FOR AN ECLIPSE?

THE NUMBER THAT WORKS
IS NOT 19, NOT 56,

BUT 18.61 YEARS, THE
SAME TIME IT TAKES

THE MOON'S BACK-AND-FORTH

TRIP ON THE HORIZON TO
EXPAND AND CONTRACT.

IT'S A WAY TO PINPOINT
THE MOON'S POSITION AND SO

PREDICT THE MYSTICAL ARRIVAL
OF A LUNAR ECLIPSE.

DURING A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE,
THE MOON CAN TURN A DEEP ORANGE

COLOR OR EVEN BLOOD RED,

SO THAT MUST'VE BEEN A PRETTY
COMPELLING, EVEN FRIGHTENING,

EVENT FOR ANCIENT PEOPLES
WHO WORSHIPPED IT.

BUT THE
STONEHENGERS, WITHOUT WRITING,

COULD NOT DEAL WITH FRACTIONS.

COUNTING TO 18.61 WAS
IMPOSSIBLE, AND THAT IS WHERE

THE 56 AUBREY HOLES COME IN.

THE NUMBER 56 IS ALSO THE SUM OF
THE NUMBER 19 AND 18 AND 19.

SO BY USING THE 56 AUBREY
HOLES TO COUNT 19 YEARS,

THEN 18, THEN 19 AGAIN,
THE COUNT PER YEAR AVERAGED

LESS THAN HALF A PERCENT
FROM 18.61, THE VERY NUMBER

NEEDED TO TRACK THE MOON'S
EXACT POSITIONS ON THE HORIZON

AND PREDICT DANGER PERIODS
WHEN ECLIPSES MIGHT OCCUR.

WHEN ECLIPSES MIGHT OCCUR.

WITHOUT PHYSICAL OR WRITTEN
EVIDENCE, THE ECLIPSE CONNECTION

AT STONEHENGE IS NOT
WIDELY ACCEPTED.

SKEPTICS BELIEVE NUMERICAL
CLUES, LIKE THE NUMBER OF

AUBREY HOLES, MEANS NOTHING.

THE FACT THERE'S 56 OF THEM WELL,
THERE HAS TO BE SOME NUMBER OF THEM.

I MEAN, IT'S 56 BECAUSE IT
HAPPENS TO BE 56.

OR PERHAPS WE HAVE
VASTLY UNDERESTIMATED

STONEHENGE'S ASTRONOMERS.

WAS THIS MONUMENT REALLY
A SACRED OBSERVATORY?

UNTIL WE FIND WRITTEN
RECORDS FROM THAT ERA,

IF WE EVER DO, OR WE BUILD
A TIME MACHINE TO GO BACK,

REALLY, WE'RE STUCK
WITH PLAUSIBILITY.

BUT PLAUSIBILITY
LEAVES OPEN AN ASTOUNDING

CONCLUSION, THAT THE ANCIENT
SHAMANS WERE ASTRONOMERS AND

STONEHENGE THEIR OBSERVATORY.

5,000 YEARS AGO,
THEIR OBSERVATIONS

ACHIEVED A LEVEL NOT SEEN

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR
ALMOST 2,000 YEARS.

PERHAPS THEY WERE THE FIRST

TO MAP THE PATH OF THE SUN
ACROSS THE YEAR'S SEASONS,

THE FIRST TO CALCULATE
THE LENGTHY CYCLES OF THE MOON,

AND EVEN THE FIRST TO PREDICT
THE TIMING OF ECLIPSES.

IF SO, THE PEOPLE OF STONEHENGE

WERE OUR EARLIEST SPACE
SCIENTISTS, EMBARKING ON

MANKIND'S HISTORIC EXPLORATION
OF THE UNIVERSE.