This is an artist's drawing of the structure of Newgrange. It shows the entrance where light enters the tomb and the central chamber which is illuminated every midwinter.
Click on image for full size
Windows to the Universe original image

The Newgrange Passage Tomb

The Newgrange tomb is located in County Meath, Ireland (28 miles north of Dublin). It was likely built around 3,200 B.C. by the Neolithic people who lived in Ireland at the time. That means that it is older than the pyramids in Egypt! The tomb was discovered in 1699 and it was excavated and restored a lot between 1962 and 1975.

Concern for astronomy cannot be mistaken at this passage tomb in Ireland. An entrance on the southeastern side opens to a 62 feet long passageway leading to a central chamber 20 feet high and three side chambers. For about 2 weeks on either side of the winter solstice, light streams through a roof box located above the entrance passage. This allows light to shine through the length of the passageway, illuminating the entire central chamber which must have been where people were buried. That this could happen by chance is so unlikely that no one doubts that Newgrange was carefully planned and constructed to face sunrise at the midwinter mark.

Midwinter was traditionally seen as the season of death followed by renewal. You see, midwinter day marks the shortest day of the year followed by the lengthening of days and the coming of Spring. If its builders believed in a life after death like most cultures do, it is appropriate that this tomb was constructed with these thoughts in mind.

Many of the stones making up Newgrange are richly decorated, some with symbols that look very much like the Sun. Newgrange is not an observatory, but this building does show that this ancient civilization had not only knowledge of the movement of the Sun, but a deep cultural connection with the movements of the Sun, Moon and stars.

Last modified July 25, 2001 by Jennifer Bergman.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Megaliths Revealed

Many people are interested in the mysterious megalithic structures that can be found around the world. This page will give you all the ins and outs so these structures aren't such a mystery! First, a megalithic...more

Astronomy at Stonehenge

Some people would say that advanced astronomical techniques were practiced at Stonehenge and other megalithic structures (megalith is Greek for "large stone"). But, it is not likely that ancient observers...more

The Cairns of Clava

Not too far from Loch Ness, where the green highlands of Scotland rise and fall there lies three giant cairns of stones. They are called the Balnuaran of Clava. The Balnuaran of Clava, giant tombs encased...more

Native American Astronomy

By 30,000 B.C,. Asian hunter-gatherers had crossed the Bering Strait into North America. These people were the first to inhabit this new land and so they are known as the Native Americans of North America....more

Archeoastronomy

"The movements of the heavenly bodies are an admirable thing, well known and manifest to all peoples. There are no people, no matter how barbaric and primitive, that do not raise up their eyes, take note,...more

The Stones of Carnac

The stones of Carnac, France, are probably the most famous stones markings outside of those found at Stonehenge in England. Where Stonehenge is composed of standing stones, the Carnac area has many different...more

Cuzco

This is an aerial view of Cuzco. In the center of the picture, the cathedral of Cuzco can be seen. This cathedral was built in the 17th century. Cuzco is located in Southern Peru. It is the ancient capital...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA