2012/03/05 by D. Brown, Daniel G. Brown, A Alder +6
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Historical Astronomy and Related Studies #Historical and Architectural Studies #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Popular Physics (physics.pop-ph) #physics.hist-ph #physics.pop-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1203.0947
5 pages, 5 figures, submitted for conference proceedings of SEAC 2011
arxiv created 2012/03/05 · openalex publication_date 2012/03/05 · arxiv updated 2012/03/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A unique triangular shaped monolith located within the Peak District National Park at Gardom's Edge could be intentionally astronomically aligned. It is set within a landscape rich in late Neolithic and Bronze Age remains. We show that the stone is most likely in its original orientation owing to its clear signs of erosion and associated to the time period of the late Neolithic. It is tilted towards South and its North side slopes at an angle equal to the maximum altitude of the Sun at mid-summer. This alignment emphasizes the changing declinations of the Sun during the seasons as well as giving an indication of mid-summers day. This functionality is achieved by an impressive display of light and shadow on the North-facing side of the Monolith. Together with other monuments in the close vicinity the monolith would have represented an ideal marker or social arena for seasonal gatherings for the else dispersed small communities.