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This long stick is called a gnomon
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Ancient Skies

This long stickis called a gnomon, and if you stick itin the ground straight up and down,...

This long stick
is called a gnomon, and if you stick it
in the ground straight up and down, it will cast a shadow
due to the sunlight

Full Transcript

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.265
This long stick is called a gnomon,
00:00:03.365 --> 00:00:04.407
and if you stick it in the ground
00:00:04.431 --> 00:00:05.796
straight up and down,
00:00:05.895 --> 00:00:08.493
it will cast a shadow due to the sunlight.
Duration
8 seconds
Views
19
Timestamp in Movie
00:22:47
Uploaded
Jun 13, 2025
Season
1
Episode
1
Genres
documentary, history

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Movie Summary

With breath-taking CGI, beautiful landscape footage and some of the world's most important astronomical artefacts, Ancient Skies looks at the cosmos through the eyes of our ancestors, and our changing views of the cosmos throughou...
S01 • E01 Now that we have our gnomon in the ground - Ancient Skies 00:06
Now that we have our gnomon in the ground
S01 • E01 Now all we have to do is Mark the end of that shadow - Ancient Skies 00:05
Now all we have to do is Mark the end of that shadow
S01 • E01 That's going to make an arc on the ground - Ancient Skies 00:08
That's going to make an arc on the ground
S01 • E01 Once we have the arc in the ground - Ancient Skies 00:14
Once we have the arc in the ground
S01 • E01 That circle will intersect the arc in two spots, - Ancient Skies 00:07
That circle will intersect the arc in two spots,
S01 • E01 Experts believe this is how the ancient Egyptians - Ancient Skies 00:09
Experts believe this is how the ancient Egyptians
S01 • E01 Across the world, every civilization that was - Ancient Skies 00:09
Across the world, every civilization that was
S01 • E01 The Aztecs tended to orient their main temple - Ancient Skies 00:09
The Aztecs tended to orient their main temple
S01 • E01 The two shrines on top of it were aligned - Ancient Skies 00:08
The two shrines on top of it were aligned
S01 • E01 We can see other similarly aligned monuments - Ancient Skies 00:08
We can see other similarly aligned monuments
S01 • E01 Southeast Asia, - Ancient Skies 00:09
Southeast Asia,
S01 • E01 These were civilizations separated by - Ancient Skies 00:10
These were civilizations separated by
S01 • E01 And yet, they were all using astronomy - Ancient Skies 00:06
And yet, they were all using astronomy
S01 • E01 But astronomy didn't just influence our architecture. - Ancient Skies 00:04
But astronomy didn't just influence our architecture.
S01 • E01 It also inspired us to create treasures of exquisite beauty. - Ancient Skies 00:06
It also inspired us to create treasures of exquisite beauty.
S01 • E01 At the Halle state museum of prehistory in eastern Germany, - Ancient Skies 00:11
At the Halle state museum of prehistory in eastern Germany,
S01 • E01 Discovered in 1999, it is believed to have been made - Ancient Skies 00:10
Discovered in 1999, it is believed to have been made
S01 • E01 Made from bronze overlaid with gold, - Ancient Skies 00:09
Made from bronze overlaid with gold,
S01 • E01 It now sits permanently behind glass. - Ancient Skies 00:05
It now sits permanently behind glass.
S01 • E01 But Dr. Harald Meller has used this precious, perfect copy - Ancient Skies 00:08
But Dr. Harald Meller has used this precious, perfect copy