Stars and Pyramids

1
Stars and Pyramids

• Astronomy and the mysteries of the Pyramids of
  Giza

2
The pyramids of Giza

• Cheops is the largest of the 3 pyramids of Giza
• It has shafts, which are not found in any other
  pyramid

3
The building planWhy are the pyramids so
perfectly orientated?

• Sides of pyramids align N, S, E and W.
• Two pyramids on a diagonal
• This suggests a building plan

4
Theory of Bauval

• Pyramides represent the belt of the
  constellation Orion
• First clue the orientations match
• Second clue the sizes of stars and pyramides
  match

5
Building plan
6
Egypt is a mirror of the heavens

• The river Nile represents the Milky Way

7
More clues!

• When the pyramide was built the shafts of Cheops
  pointed to Orion and Sirius in the south every
  day
• Orion and Sirius were very important in Egyptian
  mythology

8
Egyptian mythology

• Sirius is the brightest star in the sky
• It was associated with the goddess
• Isis, wife of Osiris
• Orion symbolizes Osiris, the god of
• the underworld
• Egyptians believed that the soul of
• the dead pharao would travel to
• Orion and meet Osiris

9
The age of Cheops using precession

• Precession the rotational axis of the earth
  describes a full circle every 24,000 years
• AD 2004 the axis points to Polaris
• 2500 BC the axis pointed to Thuban

10
Zenith
Sky Globe daily movement of stars 2500 BC
Thuban
Ursa major Polaris
Orion
Horizon
north
south
Rotational axis
11
The Orion-shaft-method

• The orientation of the shaft can be measured
  using a robot
• Calculations show due to precession the
  shaft only pointed
• towards Orion in about 2500 BC
• This method is not accurate enough

12
A new method by Kate Spence

• Assumption the Egyptians used a celestial stick
  to find the exact north for the orientation of
  the pyramids
• Calculations show due to precession this stick
  only pointed exactly to the north in 2549 BC
• Thus Cheops was built in 2549 BC it has almost
  the exact N-S- orientation