Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

I Went From Stonehenge to the SKA: 5,000 Years of Cosmic Curiosity In 45 minutes

Dec 2, 2025
Guest
Keith Grainge
Guest
Lucio Piccirillo
Join Lucio Piccirillo, a University of Manchester scientist and former Jodrell Bank director, and Keith Grainge from SKA Headquarters as they navigate humanity's cosmic curiosity from Stonehenge to the cutting-edge Square Kilometre Array. They dive into how ancient builders aligned Stonehenge with the Sun and discuss Jodrell Bank's pivotal role during the Cold War. Hear about pulsars as cosmic tools and the SKA’s mission to uncover the universe's first stars. A fascinating exploration of our quest to understand our place in the cosmos!
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
00:00 / 00:00

Ancient Engineering At Stonehenge

  • Stonehenge builders transported multi-ton sarsens and bluestones over hundreds of miles using ingenious engineering, not aliens.
  • Lucio Piccirillo highlights mortise-and-tenon stone joints and earthen ramps as Neolithic craftsmanship evidence.
00:00 / 00:00

Stonehenge As A Celestial Calendar

  • Stonehenge functions as a precise celestial calendar aligned to solstices, encoding seasonal knowledge in stone.
  • The monument shows ancient people engaged in a long-term dialogue with the sky to mark time and rituals.
00:00 / 00:00

Lovell Telescope's Wartime Roots

  • The Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank was repurposed quickly after WWII using naval bearings and radar heritage.
  • Lucio Piccirillo recounts it tracked Sputnik and adapted military tech for pioneering radio astronomy work.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app