Sacred Monuments

On a French peninsula jutting into the Bay of Quiberon lies a massive enigma. It is a menhir, or “long stone,” that now lies on its side shattered into four pieces. When upright, it stood more than 66 feet high and weighed in excess of 342 tons. It was quarried almost 3 miles away and how it was transported and raised into position is a mystery. Its purpose is a mystery as well.

The only theory as to its purpose comes from archeoastronomer Alexander Thom, who believes it may have served as the furthest point marking alignments from several points situated around the bay.

The alignments Thom believes it helped mark are the “standstills,” or apparent halts in the Moon’s path during its 18.6-year cycle. Certainly the upright stone could have been seen from many points around the bay, but there is no real evidence this was the purpose the ancients had in mind.

Perhaps what makes this ancient ruin so intriguing is that thousands of years ago people performed a near superhuman feat for the time for some obscure purpose we might never understand.

Focus on the planets

Mercury rises low in the northeast about an hour and a half before sunrise during midmonth. A great time to check out the innermost planet is on Sept. 10 when less than one-half degree separates Mercury and the bright star Regulus.

Venus blazes high on the predawn eastern horizon coming into view four hours before sunrise. The waning crescent moon is just to the upper left of Venus on the morning of Sept. 10, making a satisfying sight.

Mars passes behind the sun, superior conjunction, on the 15th of the month and is lost to view in September.

Jupiter follows Mars behind the sun on the 21st of the month and is likewise lost to view in September.

Saturn is situated very near Venus on the predawn eastern horizon as the month opens, but then gradually pulls away to the upper right of its much brighter neighbor. The rings of Saturn remain tilted for pleasurable viewing.

Uranus is in Aquarius and Neptune in Capricornus during September. Both can be spotted with a small telescope and with the aid of the finder charts found in the April issue of Sky & Telescope.

Two comets that made their appearance in April are still around although not for much longer. Comet LINEAR can be spotted in the western sky not far from the bright orange star Arcturus, while Comet NEAT is ambling along the back of Draco. A glance at the star chart shows that this places the comet nearly circumpolar so it stays in view all night.

September Events

1 Sunrise, 5:57 a.m.; sunset, 7:13 p.m. Venus and Saturn will appear very close together on the eastern horizon before and at dawn.

6 Moon in last quarter, 11:10 a.m.

8 The moon is at apogee, or farthest distance from the Earth, tonight.

10 Today it will pay to get up before dawn. Mercury and Regulus lie just a small fraction of a degree apart low in the east. High above the duo the moon, Venus, and Saturn form a triangle with the Twins, Castor and Pollux, to its upper left.

14 New moon, 10:28 a.m.

16 The sun enters Virgo on the ecliptic.

19 Look to the southwest about an hour after sunset for the crescent moon among the stars of Scorpius. The bright orange star to the Moon’s left is Antares.

21 Moon in first quarter, 11:54 a.m. The first-quarter Moon is located among the stars of the “teapot,” Sagittarius.

22 Fall or autumn equinox, 12:30 p.m. This is the point where the sun crosses the celestial equator into the southern hemisphere marking the start of spring in that half of the world. The sun enters the astrological sign of Libra at the equinox but, has just entered Virgo astronomically. The Moon is at perigee, or closest approach to Earth today.

28 Full moon, 9:08 a.m. The full moon of September is known as the Fruit Moon but, this year being the one closest to the fall equinox, gains the more familiar title of Harvest Moon.

30 Sunrise, 6:31 a.m.; sunset, 6:18 p.m.

Send astronomical queries to Clair Wood at cgmewood@aol.com.