Christmas Trees

[Chris Peterson]

Stonehenge, the earliest solar observatory?

Stonehenge was certainly built by people who had some understanding of the solstices, and probably some other astronomical alignments as well (although I'm generally skeptical of attempts to make it much more complex than that). Newgrange, in Ireland, is aligned to the northern winter solstice sunrise, and probably predates Stonehenge.

Whether either of these could be called "observatories" is uncertain, and may never be known. But they certainly demonstrate a degree of astronomical knowledge (even though it probably had astrological significance) in early pretechnological societies.

[neufer]

Stonehenge, the earliest solar observatory?

Stonehenge was certainly built by people who had some understanding of the solstices, and probably some other astronomical alignments as well (although I'm generally skeptical of attempts to make it much more complex than that). Newgrange, in Ireland, is aligned to the northern winter solstice sunrise, and probably predates Stonehenge.

Whether either of these could be called "observatories" is uncertain, and may never be known. But they certainly demonstrate a degree of astronomical knowledge (even though it probably had astrological significance) in early pretechnological societies.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1636852466/

[Orca]

Owlice - Before she was born, I kept thinking of all the things I get to teach her and share with her - going to the beach, camping, hiking, first views through the telescope, ect. Then it occurred to me that I was wishing time away. I decided that I should focus on the "moment" and enjoy each day. After she was born and parenting began I found this mindset to feel even more "right" than I could have possibly imagined. I find myself both fascinated and enthralled with every new thing she learns or does, even things that might be unnoticeable small to anyone besides her parents.

At the same time, in the wee corners of my mind, I still can't help but look forward...maybe just a bit.

I think that is fine as long as I don't sacrifice the moment.


Chris - "Solstice Tree," I like it. I have similar views of the holiday. I am not a religious person either; I have always enjoyed the holiday for bringing together family and friends. The cultural elements (Tree, lights, ect) have sentimental value as they remind me of my childhood.


Bystander - great comic. Sums up my take on the holiday quite well. I made a point to check out the strip; I think it's my new "nerd" comic, right next to XKCD in my bookmark folder. Thanks for sharing!



I will post a picture of my Solstice Tree soon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more Solstice Lights to put on my house..

[TNT]

We're wrapping up Christmas tree sales here. We went from 1500 trees to just fifty in three weeks! The sales end this Friday.

[orin stepanek]

Going to the big "O" to wrap up out Christmas shopping today! Somethings you can't get at our small city. I could probably get on line but somethings I like to see before I buy!

[Orca]

Once again, happy holidays everyone!

Here's my tree lit up:

Click to view full size image

My cat doesn't levitate but he does have LASER EYES (pew pew!)

Click to view full size image

[geckzilla]

Haha, I love how the cat's eyes become ornaments.

[Beyond]

The cat must have dual vision. A bright white right eye and a yellowish left eye.

[Ann]

Ha ha! Orca, I love that tree! It's really nice without the cat, but with the cat included, it is incomparable!

Ann

[TNT]

The cat must have dual vision. A bright white right eye and a yellowish left eye.

I like your rhyming skills, Beyond.
Do you think it can see things in 4D in this 3D world?

[Beyond]

The cat must have dual vision. A bright white right eye and a yellowish left eye.

I like your rhyming skills, Beyond.
Do you think it can see things in 4D in this 3D world?

ha-ha, any rhyming skills that may 'leak' out, no matter how good or bad, are purely accidental.
I think animals can see some things that we humans don't normally see. Like when your cat suddenly gives a startled look in your direction and then takes off for the hills, or all of a sudden a dog starts doing a mean growl at you, from out of no-where. Or, maybe sometimes they don't see something. Like when many years ago, my father and i were outside by the back porch, and a couple of canadian geese landed down by my swamp pond about 200 feet away. We started watching them and it wasn't long before they started to head toward the house. We said nah, they couldn't be coming up here. There's a sharp downgrade between the house and the swamp pond, so we were actually looking down at them. Well, they kept coming in our direction, then disappeared behind the sharp down grade. So we waited.I said something like, well, if they are coming up the grade, they have to go around the backside of my little barn to get just below us. And if they are coming up here, they should be here right about now. About ten seconds later, they came around the backside of the barn. Then they were about 50 feet away and we expected them to see us and fly off, so we didn't move. They continued to waddle along up a small upgrade, until they were only about 20 feet away. They look nice up close. Then all of a sudden they started honking like crazy!! They turned around and flew down towards the swamp pond, and then up over the trees. I never knew they had a white band on the top of their tails before. Heh, that's probably because I've never seen them from above when they're flying before. So we don't know why they would have waddled up so close to us. They must have seen something else, and didn't see us, but we really enjoyed it!

[Ann]

That must have been an amazing experience, Beyond.

Ann

[Beyond]

That must have been an amazing experience, Beyond.

Ann

Not as good as your white UJO that you posted in -what did you see in the sky tonight-.
Actually, i was somewhat concerned that they would get too close and 'wake up' and attack. Geese bites can be really painful. Then when they flew away, i wished they had gotten closer.

[neufer]

Stonehenge, the earliest solar observatory?

Stonehenge was certainly built by people who had some understanding of the solstices, and probably some other astronomical alignments as well (although I'm generally skeptical of attempts to make it much more complex than that). Newgrange, in Ireland, is aligned to the northern winter solstice sunrise, and probably predates Stonehenge. Whether either of these could be called "observatories" is uncertain, and may never be known. But they certainly demonstrate a degree of astronomical knowledge (even though it probably had astrological significance) in early pretechnological societies.

[c]. http://video.pbs.org/video/1636852466/[/c]


<<Carefull calculations made from Hollar's drawing of Shakespeare's 1613 Globe Theatre showed the stage to have faced about 48 degrees east of north, that is, about the same relation to summer solstice sunrise as Stonehenge.>>
- p. 256 Shakespeare the Evidence by Ian Wilson

.
<<King James I (1566-1625), ordered the first authoritative study of Stonehenge, when instructing his Surveyor-General of Works, and great architect, Inigo Jones to survey the structure to determine how it got there. Jones' first conclusion was that Stonehenge was constructed with such design and beauty that it could not have been built by the Druids as previously thought. The Druids and others of the time were considered barbaric, unskilled people. Jones concluded that Stonehenge had to be constructed by civilized people who were skilled in architectural design and mathematics. Inigo Jones died on summer solstice: June 21, 1652.>>

[list][list]The Tempest > Act IV, scene I[/list]
PROSPERO: Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
[list]. As I foretold you, were all spirits and
. Are melted into air, into thin air:
. And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
. The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
. The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
. Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
. And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
. Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
. As dreams are made on, and our little life
. Is rounded with a sleep.[/list][/i][/color][/list]

[Troy]

The sinking Christmas tree decorated with many small laser pens.Like stars filling the sky.This dark night, dotted with colorful.