* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

A history written in starlight

September 19, 2023
in Science
A history written in starlight
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Photographer Matthieu Paley delves into Gran Canaria’s multifaceted ancient history.

National Geographic CreativeWorks

To look into the night sky from a lonely peak on Gran Canaria is to see the same whirl of stars that was reflected in the eyes of the earliest islanders, some 2,000 years ago. Now commonly known on the island as ancient Canarians, and variously believed to have been colonists, prisoners, or exiles from the ancient Berber tribes of North Africa, these profoundly isolated people spun creation myths out of the overhanging cosmic fabric.

They made gods of the sun, and moon, and sky itself, even while conjuring devils from the volcanic earth beneath their feet. Demon-dogs called tibicenas were said to dwell in high caves and craters that served as gateways to the underworld, emerging after dark to prey on livestock, or unlucky shepherds, in the clear and perfect starlight of this island.

The particular quality of this light, and the glassy transparency of that darkness, remain mostly undimmed millenia later, long after those aboriginal gods and monsters were largely vanquished by the Catholic faith of conquerors from mainland Spain. Today’s Gran Canaria is a world-class destination for stargazing, as officially recognised by UNESCO in 2018.

One factor is the island’s position at 28 degrees of latitude, explains Gauthier Dubois, a French-born astronomer who has lived and worked here for decades. This close to the equator, and this far from the poles, the stars turn with the seasons and put “the entire celestial vault” at play overhead. A lack of light pollution adds to the sparkle, says Gauthier.

The electric glow of modern human activity is mostly confined to the busy northeast corner around the capital, Las Palmas. Prevailing trade winds blow in that way, forming a localized pattern of low cloud known as the “donkey’s belly”, and discharging humid air as “horizontal rain”. This tends to keep the sky clear over inland mountains and across the lesser-inhabited south, where Gauthier deploys mobile astronomy workshops in optimal locations with his company AstroGC. “If there’s not much moonlight, we can see with the naked eye deep sky objects such as the Andromeda galaxy, Hercules, or Omega Centauri.”

With his four large-aperture telescopes – one of which he effectively built himself – he can also show clients far distant nebulae, double clusters, stellar spirals more than 30,000 light-years away, and ideally “give them the feeling that we are navigating our galaxy, literally surrounded by thousands of stars.” In March and April, Canopus rotates into especially clear view over Gran Canaria—the second-brightest star in the night sky.

For Gauthier, the act of tracking its orbit fosters a sense of humility and a spirit of inquiry that makes him feel closer to those pre-Hispanic settlers. “Who are we? Why are we here? What is our relationship to the universe? Undoubtedly, the ancient Canary Islanders asked themselves these questions. And, despite not having the means available to us today, they were able to draw maps of the sky that I find amazing.”

The evidence is etched into the soft volcanic debris of the Sacred Mountains, where arcane markers and monoliths left behind by aboriginal stargazers stand not so far from the high-tech 21st-century telescopes of the Roque Saucillo Astronomic Center, and the Temisas Observatory. Across surrounding slopes laced with hiking trails, dotted with lookout points, and planted with farms producing high-quality coffee and olive oil, there is a much older observatory at the Risco Caido archaeological complex.

An excavated cave under a parabolic dome is believed to have been a celestial calendar, lit by sunrays and moonbeams shining through an oculus. At nearby Acusa Seca, cave dwellings carved into the cliff face by fifth-century residents are still inhabited by contemporary islanders, and some can even be rented as guest houses. Ancestral villagers also painted cavern walls with the vivid geometric shapes now preserved at the Cueva Pintada site, and built a vast network of grain silos into a mountain at Cenobio de Valeron.

Archaeologists from Tibicena, an archaeology company named after those lurking demon dogs of the ancient Canarians, have unearthed whole troves of artefacts from hidden chambers in the landscape, many of which are now on display at the Museo Canario in Las Palmas. Tools, art, idols, even mummified bodies – intriguing clues that don’t quite solve the abiding mysteries of existence on this island before the Spanish arrived. Even the archipelago’s name remains enigmatic.

The “Canaries” are derived from the Latin canārius, or, “pertaining to dogs”. Gran Canaria was once Canariae Insulae, or Island of Dogs. One story tells how an early expedition from the Roman Empire encountered multitudes of huge, fierce canines on the shore. Doggy ancestors, perhaps, of the native breed, podenco canario, that farmers still use to hunt rabbits. Or maybe they were really seals, known to the Romans as “sea dogs”. Or giant lizards of the indigenous species still found here today. Or, indeed, man-eating fiends from the pagan underworld. Linguistic confusion seems more likely, as other theories suggest the original human population traced its roots to the Canarii tribe of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.

Today’s islanders share a rich genetic mix of pre- and post-colonial cultures, and a visitor to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria can trace the passage from ancient to modern through the historic quarter of Vegueta. Inside the Renaissance-era governors’ mansion at Casa de Colon are charts and instruments used by seafarers and merchants, who anchored here en route to the New World. Favorable winds and currents made this port of call a boom town between Europe and the Americas, wooden treasure ships eventually giving way to cargo steamers and the cruise liners that now bring passengers to enjoy the duty-free shopping, the gofio-based fish soups and meat stews, and the coral-barrier beach at Las Canteras.

Leisure travel has its own history and tradition here, landmarks like the 19th-century Santa Catalina hotel attesting to a period when the sweet sea air itself was thought to have health-enhancing properties, and Gran Canaria became a proto-wellness retreat. Those who now come for the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria between late Janurary and early March are partaking in a wild multi-colored, cross-cultural celebration of island heritage that dates back some 500 years.

At the same time of year, the white, bright, giant star Canopus is ascending over the festivities. And, on a clear night, the atmosphere of this island might incline the observer to believe that the great celestial gods of the ancient Canarians see everything their people have done, and all they have become, in the ocean of human time that has passed in the blink of their eye.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-a-history-written-in-starlight

Tags: history’scienceWritten
Previous Post

Which cities will still be livable in a climate-altered world?

Next Post

6 of the world’s best coastal rail journeys

Stellantis Revives SRT: High-Performance Street and Racing Division Makes a Triumphant Return

July 3, 2025
Josh Hart Delivers Promise to Fans After Knicks’ Recent Move – Yahoo Sports

Josh Hart Delivers Promise to Fans After Knicks’ Recent Move – Yahoo Sports

July 3, 2025
LensToLens: Wetlands guard bird species from plateau to urban landscape – Xinhua

How Wetlands Safeguard Bird Species Across Plateaus and Urban Landscapes

July 3, 2025
Commentary: Vatican defends science from politics, ideology and misinformation – The Salt Lake Tribune

Vatican Takes a Bold Stand: Defending Science from Politics, Ideology, and Misinformation

July 2, 2025
Scientists Merged 3 Human Brains by Thought Alone – Popular Mechanics

Scientists Achieve Mind-Blowing Feat by Merging Three Human Brains Through Thought Alone

July 3, 2025
Retired woman shares inside look at lifestyle after moving into unconventional tiny home: ‘The best decision I’ve ever made’ – The Cool Down

Retired Woman Reveals Life-Changing Joys of Living in an Unconventional Tiny Home: “The Best Decision I’ve Ever Made

July 2, 2025
​​World Rural Development Day: Refugee-Led Farming Projects That Are Feeding the World – USA for UNHCR

​​World Rural Development Day: Refugee-Led Farming Projects That Are Feeding the World – USA for UNHCR

July 2, 2025
Trump’s economy: A weak link in MAGA’s chain – The Hill

Trump’s economy: A weak link in MAGA’s chain – The Hill

July 2, 2025
BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

July 2, 2025
About 17 Million More People Could be Uninsured due to the Big Beautiful Bill and other Policy Changes – KFF

How the Big Beautiful Bill and Policy Changes Could Leave 17 Million More People Uninsured

July 2, 2025

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (702)
  • Economy (728)
  • Entertainment (21,616)
  • General (15,681)
  • Health (9,767)
  • Lifestyle (732)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (729)
  • Politics (735)
  • Science (15,946)
  • Sports (21,226)
  • Technology (15,712)
  • World (709)

Recent News

Stellantis Revives SRT: High-Performance Street and Racing Division Makes a Triumphant Return

July 3, 2025
Josh Hart Delivers Promise to Fans After Knicks’ Recent Move – Yahoo Sports

Josh Hart Delivers Promise to Fans After Knicks’ Recent Move – Yahoo Sports

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version