1. Stargazing in ancient Egypt.
- Author
-
Gary, Patricia Blackwell and Talcott, Richard
- Subjects
- *
PYRAMIDS , *OBELISKS , *SUNRISE & sunset , *ZODIACAL light , *SUN observations , *ARCHITECTURE , *ASTRONOMICAL observations - Abstract
The article discusses and explains the theory that pyramids and obelisks in ancient Egyptian architecture were inspired by astronomical phenomena connected with sunrise and sunset. The zodiacal light, which appears both shortly before the morning twilight in the east and just after evening twilight in the west, rises from the horizon in the shape of a cone or pyramid. A Sun pillar is a vertical shaft of light that either rises above or falls below the Sun's position, and usually ends in a point.
- Published
- 2006