APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5344
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Mar 23, 2021 4:05 am

Image Mars over Duddo Stone Circle

Explanation: Why are these large stones here? One the more famous stone circles is the Duddo Five Stones of Northumberland, England. Set in the open near the top of a modest incline, a short hike across empty fields will bring you to unusual human -sized stones that are unlike anything surrounding them. The grooved, pitted, and deeply weathered surfaces of the soft sandstones are consistent with being placed about 4000 years ago -- but placed for reasons now unknown. The featured image -- a composite of two consecutive images taken from the same location -- was captured last October under a starry sky when the Earth was passing near Mars, making the red planet unusually large and bright. Mars remains visible at sunset, although increasingly close to the horizon over the next few months.

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>

De58te
Commander
Posts: 583
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:35 pm

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by De58te » Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am

These human shaped stones kind of remind me of the Easter Island statues except that the face looks more like a snake's face instead of a dude's.

Knight of Clear Skies
Ensign
Posts: 90
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:02 am

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by Knight of Clear Skies » Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:26 am

There are about 1,300 surviving stone circles in the British isles, dating from about 3,300 BC onwards, along with countless other megaliths. We know very little about how they were used but astronomical alignments are suspected, possibly they were used as calendars as well as ceremonial sites. Some stones may have been aligned to mark the rising or setting of bright stars at particular times of the year. In most cases precise alignments have been lost. Over time weather and animals using them as rubbing posts tends to topple the stones, most we see today have been re-erected sometime over the last couple hundred years.

One thing we can be certain of, the night sky would have played a prominent role in the lives of ancient people.

Here's the Milky Way above the Hurlers on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. I must go back sometime and have a go at a timelapse.
With lockdown, I've been exploring the moors more and keep blundering into archaeological sites. Sometimes I only notice when I check my position on the google maps satellite view, some features are much easier to make out from the air.
Caradon Observatory, Cornwall, UK.

User avatar
JohnD
Tea Time, Guv! Cheerio!
Posts: 1578
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 2:11 pm
Location: Lancaster, England

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by JohnD » Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:58 am

The greatest stone ring structure in the UK, Stonehenge, continually puzzles and surprises us.
It has long been known that the 'bluestones' that make up the circle of smaller monoliths within the extraordinary Sarsen ring were cut from the Preselli Hills in South Wales, nearly 200 miles away, and across the Bristol Channel.

But recently it's been shown that they were first erected to form the Waun Mawn ring, which is now only known by traces. The whole ring of stones were dug up again and moved, in an age without metal tools or wheeled transport. Conquest, religious change - we have no ideas! See: https://www.newscientist.com/article/22 ... -monument/

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by orin stepanek » Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:00 pm

Nice view of Mars and visit of Duddo Stones! :D
MarsDuddo_Kivlehan_960.jpg
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by johnnydeep » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:48 pm

APOD Robot wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 4:05 am Image Mars over Duddo Stone Circle

Explanation: Why are these large stones here? One the more famous stone circles is the Duddo Five Stones of Northumberland, England. Set in the open near the top of a modest incline, a short hike across empty fields will bring you to unusual human -sized stones that are unlike anything surrounding them. The grooved, pitted, and deeply weathered surfaces of the soft sandstones are consistent with being placed about 4000 years ago -- but placed for reasons now unknown. The featured image -- a composite of two consecutive images taken from the same location -- was captured last October under a starry sky when the Earth was passing near Mars, making the red planet unusually large and bright. Mars remains visible at sunset, although increasingly close to the horizon over the next few months.
You'd think for something billed as a circle of stones I'd be able to find an aerial shot somewhere. But no. I had to resort to google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Duddo ... 125724,86m

Duddo Five Stones from Google Maps
Duddo Five Stones from Google Maps

And here you can plainly see the vacant space for the other two stones.
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by johnnydeep » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:51 pm

De58te wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am These human shaped stones kind of remind me of the Easter Island statues except that the face looks more like a snake's face instead of a dude's.
Human shaped? Shaped by humans, yes, but I don't see anything resembling a human form or even a human part, except maybe upright clenched fists. And a snake's face? Where?
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

RichC

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by RichC » Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:38 am

johnnydeep:
search: Duddo stone circle - zxc.wiki
(de.zxc.wiki/wiki/Steinkreis_von_Duddo)
Click on aerial views

User avatar
alter-ego
Serendipitous Sleuthhound
Posts: 1119
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:51 am
Location: Redmond, WA

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by alter-ego » Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:24 am

johnnydeep wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:51 pm
De58te wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am These human shaped stones kind of remind me of the Easter Island statues except that the face looks more like a snake's face instead of a dude's.
Human shaped? Shaped by humans, yes, but I don't see anything resembling a human form or even a human part, except maybe upright clenched fists. And a snake's face? Where?
My first thought was they looked like bad teeth.
A pessimist is nothing more than an experienced optimist

User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13369
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by Ann » Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:59 am

Knight of Clear Skies wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:26 am There are about 1,300 surviving stone circles in the British isles, dating from about 3,300 BC onwards, along with countless other megaliths. We know very little about how they were used but astronomical alignments are suspected, possibly they were used as calendars as well as ceremonial sites. Some stones may have been aligned to mark the rising or setting of bright stars at particular times of the year. In most cases precise alignments have been lost. Over time weather and animals using them as rubbing posts tends to topple the stones, most we see today have been re-erected sometime over the last couple hundred years.

One thing we can be certain of, the night sky would have played a prominent role in the lives of ancient people.

Here's the Milky Way above the Hurlers on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. I must go back sometime and have a go at a timelapse.
With lockdown, I've been exploring the moors more and keep blundering into archaeological sites. Sometimes I only notice when I check my position on the google maps satellite view, some features are much easier to make out from the air.

Love that starry sky over the Hurlers! I can see the Double Cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy and Cassiopeia!

Ann
Color Commentator

Knight of Clear Skies
Ensign
Posts: 90
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:02 am

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by Knight of Clear Skies » Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:11 am

Ann wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:59 am
Love that starry sky over the Hurlers! I can see the Double Cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy and Cassiopeia!

Ann
Thanks, think this was just a 30 second snap with a wide angle lens, with a little light-painting on the foreground. Not much light pollution up on the moors. I now use Sequator for easy stacking of fixed tripod shots, making it possible to get a lot more colour and detail on the Milky Way.
Caradon Observatory, Cornwall, UK.

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by johnnydeep » Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:45 pm

RichC wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:38 am johnnydeep:
search: Duddo stone circle - zxc.wiki
(de.zxc.wiki/wiki/Steinkreis_von_Duddo)
Click on aerial views
Thanks! Those are great. Now, why didn't they turn up in my searching? (rhetorical question...)
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Mars over Duddo Stone Circle (2021 Mar 23)

Post by johnnydeep » Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:45 pm

alter-ego wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:24 am
johnnydeep wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:51 pm
De58te wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am These human shaped stones kind of remind me of the Easter Island statues except that the face looks more like a snake's face instead of a dude's.
Human shaped? Shaped by humans, yes, but I don't see anything resembling a human form or even a human part, except maybe upright clenched fists. And a snake's face? Where?
My first thought was they looked like bad teeth.
Yeah, that works even better.
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

Post Reply