User talk:Yossraibrahim/sandbox

Introduction
For thousands of years, humanity has been fascinated by the patterns of stars in the sky. By the time the civilizations were developed, ancient people knew the science of Astronomy. The most outstanding one of all civilizations is that of Ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians made many great achievements in science as well as several contributions in many fields like medicine, engineering, agriculture and literature; while they showed special interest in Astronomy. For Ancient Egyptians, Astronomy went beyond legends and myths. It was developed to build enormous temples and enchanting pyramids which made the whole world and modern technology wonder how these enormous structures were built so accurately, only depending on the use of natural technology. Giza pyramids, especially the great pyramid, are the most gigantic structures that survived for thousands of years. The great pyramid (Cheops) is one of the most remarkable structures ever made. Not only for being huge and one of the ancient seven wonders of the world, but also for being built so precisely with respect to the Orion and Leo constellations, pointing directly towards the north and aligned with the cardinal directions. Herein after we are going to explore the astronomical mysteries combined in Cheops that made it deserving to be of the World's Seven Wonders.

The Great Pyramid, stands today as one of the greatest architectural achievements. Its dimensions and orientation have astonished mathematicians and astronomers for centuries. The pyramid was constructed by the Egyptians and their army of laborers. This was done through clear thinking, hard work, a little good fortune, and an interesting coincidence but not much more. Ancient Egyptians were very interested in the night sky. In particular, they were dawn to two bright stars (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) that always could be seen circling the North Pole. The Ancient Egyptians associated those two stars with eternity and the after life. They believed that their pharaohs would become stars in the northern sky after death. This explains why they built the pyramids symbolizing the rays of the sun and facing north to give the deceased pharaoh direct access to the northern sky.

The Astronomical Miricale and True North
The astronomical miracle begins as we discover how the Ancient Egyptians were able to align the pyramids towards true north. The error from true north is about 1/12 of a degree, and what is even more astonishing is that this orientation was done without a compass.  True north was probably found by measuring the place where a particular star rose and fell in the west and east, then bisecting the angle between these two points. Recently, astronomers found that each of the two stars was about 10 degrees from the celestial pole which lay directly between them. When one star was directly above the other in the sky, astronomers could find a line that pointed due north. As the Great Pyramid depended on these two stars, rotating around the position of the North Pole, this would have been in perfect alignment. This alignment was true for a few years around 2467 B.C., the precise date when King Khufu's pyramid is thought to have been constructed. Ancient Egyptian Astronomers might have used a plumb line and waited for the night sky to slowly pivot around the unmarked pole as the earth rotated. When the plumb line exactly intersected both stars (one about 10 degrees above the invisible pole, and the other 10 degrees below it) the slight line to the horizon would aim directly at north.

The North face of the great pyramid reflects sunlight in between two critical positions during the tropical year when the sun culminates over the Great Pyramid at noon. These critical positions that determine the start and end of the sunlight reflection correspond with the position of the sun in the signs Leo and Taurus in the tropical zodiac. Its shadow to the north, and its reflected sunlight to the south, accurately marked the annual dates of both the solstices and the equinoxes.

The sides of the Great pyramid, facing the four cardinal points, signify extremities of dark and light (west and east) and the extremes of cold and heat (north and south). Furthermore, the base of the pyramid represents the four material elements of nature; i.e. air, water, fire and soil. The face of the pyramid, being a triangle signifies the triune within every object in nature. The twelve signs of zodiac appear also to be represented by the total number of lines and faces of the pyramid. In addition, astronomers discovered connections of the Great Pyramid with the constellations of Leo and Taurus are not coincidental but were carefully designed into the overall design of the Giza Plateau. The Giza Pyramid's Leo-Taurus connection can be summarized as follows:

•	The Giza Pyramids represent the belt of Orion on the ground. •	The Sphinx symbolizes the four cardinal points of the Zodiac Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. •	The Sphinx is aligned with the constellation Leo on the vernal equinox. •	The Great Pyramid aligned with Sirius, Orion, and Alpha Draconis when the vernal equinox was in the constellation Taurus. •	The Geometry of the Sphinx and the Pyramids corresponds with the geometry of Leo and the Orion belt respectively. < How the Great Pyramid was built" by Zahi Hawass 22,50>

As the Sun starts to rise from its lowest position in the sky on the winter solstice point, it reaches a critical height in the skies where the sunrays illuminating the south face of the pyramid. This is the moment that the Great Pyramid starts to reflect the sunrays by its concave face. When the ascent of the sun progresses, the Sun finally reaches a point in the sky where it will shine over the top of the pyramid and starts to illuminate the North face of the pyramid as well. This happens shortly before the spring. Again, when the ascent of the sun progresses, it reaches a point where the sunrays will be reflected off horizontally from the North face of the pyramid. This is when the reflected sunlight can be observed North of the Pyramid.

The sun finally comes to a standstill at the summer solstice after which it starts to descend again. The process of illumination of the Pyramid now reverses. First, the horizontal reflection of the sunrays on the North face seizes and next just before autumn, the complete illumination of the North face seizes. < http___www.bbc.co.uk_history_ancient_egyptians_great_pyramid_01>

the height of the sun that causes for a horizontal reflection of the sunlight on the North face is indicated in Red. When the sun reaches this position, spectators north of the Pyramid will see the Pyramid starting to shine like a crystal.

The reflection of the sunlight by the Great Pyramid could have been observed even today if the casing stones were still in place. This reflection is no coincidence and exists due to the unique relations between:

•	The latitude of the Great Pyramid. •	The alignment to the four cardinal points. •	The sloping angle of the faces of the Great Pyramid. •	The obliquity of the Earth axis. 

The orion Mystery
The Ancient Egyptians thought that the Orion constellation represents the god of birth and after life Osiris. Therefore, they intended to align the pyramids which look geometrically similar to the three stars in the Orion belt. Also, the Nile River and the Sphinx perfectly reflect the Milky Way and the constellation Leo as they appeared at the moment of sunrise.

Recently and after many years of researches, Egyptologists were able to prove that the air shafts inside the great pyramid aligned to the stars in the belt of Orion and the Pole star around 2500 B.C. the southern shaft from the queens chamber aligned with the star Sirius at its culmination point on the meridian. This star was very important to the Egyptians and was associated with the mother Goddess Isis. The southern shaft emanating from the kings chamber aligned with the brightest star of the Orion belt (Zeta Orionis). This star was associated with the Egyptian god Osiris. The northern shafts aligned to the ancient pole star Alpha Draconis (kings chamber) and to Beta Ursa Minor (queens shaft). 

A theory suggests that the construction of the Great Sphinx began in 10,500 B.C. and that the sphinx's lion shape is a definitive reference to the constellation of Leo. <"The secrets of the sphinx" by Zahi Hawas 6,10,13,20> Moreover, the layout and orientation of the Sphinx, the Giza Pyramids and the Nile River is an accurate reflection of the constellations of Leo, Orion and the Milky Way respectively. The date of 10,500 B.C is chosen because they maintain this as the only time in the precession of the equinoxes when the astrological age was Leo, and when that constellation rose directly east of the Sphinx at the vernal equinox. Also, this theory suggests that the angles between the three stars of Orion's belt and the horizon were an exact match to the angles between the three Giza Pyramids. <"The Orion mystery" by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert 41,42,44,53>

•	The Sphinx faces east at the exact location where the sun rises on the day of the vernal equinox. At sunrise on the vernal equinox around 10,500 B.C., the sun aligned itself with the constellation Leo, its own celestial counterpart image in the sky. Analysis of the Sphinx tells us that it symbolizes all of the four cardinal signs on the zodiac wheel, Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. The Sphinx has the body of a lion (Leo) and the face of a man  In the end, so proudly and certainly we declare that the Ancient Egyptians belonged to an extremely advanced civilization, since they were the founders of Astronomy, and put the basis of Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry as well as mechanics. Aligning the pyramids and Sphinx with the Orin constellation was a perfect choice made by our ancestors the Ancient Egyptians. They not only surprised the whole world by their advanced sciences and skills, but also helped the Egyptologists to date the pyramid and find their dating period in the stars. Their astronomical mystery was answered written in stars.