[TimeStar] Ancient observatory in Washington State

[timestar at timestar.org]

An ancient stone aligned for astronomical observations, including solstices
and equinoxes, has been discovered near Mt Rainier in Washington State. 
This supports a prediction the TimeStar made in 1998-99 that an observatory
would be discovered along on near the Colombia River that would be oriented
15-17 degrees east-west for solar observations.  

Called the Skystone, holes have been carved in the large stone in alignment
with astronomical observations.  The article does not state how many
degrees east of north the stone was aligned.  

This stone is not the full extent of the archaeological discoveries that
will be made in proxmity to the Columbia River, according to TimeStar
calculations, but it is relatively close to the Columbia and points to
sites dedicated to astronomical observations in the area.  

TimeStar believes the Columbia River was an important crossroads in the
ancient world with a small core of highly developed astronomy and
organization.  This does not mean that all native people in Washington
State were advanced astronomers, but that an outpost of an advanced
civilization did exist in the area.  The ruins pointing to important
alignments may even be found in my lifetime.  

Krsanna

ARTIFACT RESTS IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
by Teresa Herriman
the Courier-Herald

An important archeological artifact sits smack dab in
the middle of a Bonney Lake subdivision, unknown to
most residents.  While backhoes dig foundations on
either side, the ancient relic, known as a Skystone,
is nearly obscured by wild raspberry bushes within a
chain link fence in the Naches Terrace housing
development.  Scientists and local Native Americans
believe the Skystone is an ancient observatory.

Dennis Regan, an arcgeoastronomer who lives in Kent,
has seen many complex astrological sites, but this
one, he said, beats all of them.  "This is the new
world Stonhenge," he said.  "It's that important."

Regan calls it a record of a society that no longer
exists.  The Skystone, he says, was a scientific tool
used by extraordinarily knowledgeable ancient
astronomers.  As such, it deserves to be studied and
preserved.  Robert Whitlam, with the Washington State
Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation,
confirmed that the stone has been listed as an
official archaeological site and is protected by the
state.

The ancient people used a stone known to geologists as
an "erratic," volcanic produced andesite rocks
depositied by glaciers.  This particular stone was
probably left behind when the glaciers if the last Ice
Age melted.  When Regan first examined the site, there
were two other erratics in the area.  Both have since
been destroyed to make room for the housing
development.  Unlike the other erratics, the
Skystone's level top is punctuated by numerous
human-made holes; the major one is ten inches deep.
Regan speculates that the pits were drilled by
pounding one rock on another.

Regan, who studies the astronomy of ancient
civilizations, was called upon by Gerald Hedlund, a
well-known archaeologist and fellow instructor at
Green River Community College, seven years ago to
collaborate on the study of the stone.  Hedlund had
been given information from a researcher who found
mention of it in a 1920's BLM report.  Together they
followed an overgrown trail to the stone.  They also
noted an abandoned homestead near the site has since
been destroyed.

The Skystone measures 4.5 feet high and 12 feet across
and features carved stone steps to the top.  "It looks
crude, but it appears to be shaped," Regan pointed out
during a recent visit to the stone.  The pits, or
holes on the top and side are definitely not natural.
When Regan and Hedlund filled each pit with a
ping-pong ball, they made a remaarkable discovery.
The pits were in perfect alignment.  Using GPS, the
team was able to determine that the alignments form a
near perfect parallelogram, indicating the summer and
winter solstice sunrise and sunset to within less than
1% error.  A solstice occurs when the sun is the
farthest north and south of the equator and marks the
start of summer or winter.  There doesn't appear to be
any alignments on the Skystone that point to other
planets.  Other pits point directly to Mt. Rainier,
Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams.

Another set indicates the major and minor lunar
standstills-the point when the moon reaches apex and
nadar during an 18.6 year cycle.  Lunar standstills
were important events in the ancient world and were
studied by other cultures, including the Greeks,
Mayans and monolythic societies such as the one that
created Stonhenge.  "Predicting the major and minor
lunar standstills implies an awful lot of knowledge,"
Regan said.

Regan marvelled at the incredible accuracy given the
tools of the time.  "People were knocking holes in a
rock and using rawhide strips," he said.  More than
likely the pits held sticks, pegs or small rocks to
site astrological events and geological locations.
Further, the parallelogram resembles the oldest part
of Stonehenge, marked by four postholes exactly the
same as the ones found on the Skystone.  The markings
on the Bonney Lake Skystone are so precise, Regan
said, they could be used today with extreme accuracy.

The area where the stone sits used to be a prairie.
>From that vantage point, Regan said, the view of Mt.
Rainier would have been breathtaking at winter
solstice.  If the weather was clear, the American
Indians would be able to watch the sun climb up the
side of the mountain to crest at the peak.

Unfortunately, records of how the stone was used and
who created it are lost.  Hedlund has spoken to local
American Indian groups with mixed results.  Other
megalithic societies used similar stones to establish
their religious and political authority.  Accurately
predicting when an astrological event is to occur was
important for anciet people.  Knowing the time of the
seasonal rains, for example, could mean the difference
between life and death for the community.  Regan
believes that the discovery of the Skystone confirms
other studies indicating a profound knowledge of
astronomy among the Native Americans in this area.
"We definitely know that this rock is older than
modern settlement," he said.  "It is not an artifact
of European settlers but, in fact, belongs to native
cultures."  Further, the pits are big enough to infer
that natural weathering processes did not cause them.

Regan believes the steps leading to the top of the
stone indicate that whoever it was, nedded to be on
top of the stone to use it.  Although, given the
height of the stone, it could alsohave been used at
eye level.  However, he is careful to point out that
the fact there are alignments doesn't offer a clue to
why the pits were so carefully drilled into the stone.
"My expectation is that it's tied to their religion
somehow," Regan said.

Using calculations based on the shifting position of
the solstice over time, Regan is able to pinpoint the
date of the current patterns alignment on the
Skystone.  The stone was last used to establish winter
and summer solstice 600 years ago.  Other markings
indicate that the stone could have been used prior to
that date.  The alignments pointing to the area
mountain peaks could have been used as baselines.
Regan said that the stone could have been used by more
than one culture or for more than one use.  "But it is
a matter of considerable conjecture," he cautions.
What Regan does know is that the Skystone has been
used for a very long time.



"And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful

than the risk it took to blossom." Elizabeth Lesser

"Two wolves who share a single red rose, together always and forever,
no matter where they might be" SL






--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .