Nearly 100 children helped experts to map a rare astronomical event at Stonehenge this week.

The children, from Larkhill Primary and Stonehenge School, helped to capture the possible alignment of the Moon at Stonehenge during a Major Lunar Standstill.

The 90 children gathered to make a special aerial image with Stonehenge Curator Heather Sebire, as well as Dr Fabio Silva and Dr Amanda Chadburn from Bournemouth University.

"It was fantastic; the children really enjoyed it."

Fiona Jenkins, the deputy headmaster at Larkhill Primary, spoke to the Journal about how the children had to line up opposite the stones and mark out the alignment wearing white shirts.

The deputy head said: "You really had to be there and see their [the children's] faces."

Stonehenge recently made the headlines when new research asserted the altar stone could have come from Scotland  (Image: Aberystwyth University)

This Autumn, English Heritage is exploring the connecting between the Moon and Stonehenge during the Major Lunar Standstill.

A rare astronomical event that occurs only once in nearly two decades, a Major Lunar Standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are furthest apart.

According to English Heritage, it is believed that at least one major standstill was marked during the early phase of Stonehenge, potentially influencing the monument’s design and purpose.

Stonehenge Curator Heather Sebire said: "It was fantastic to welcome the children to Stonehenge to help us to illustrate the possible connections between the monument and the Moon."

"Everyone seemed to enjoy the morning, especially the GCSE astronomy students from Stonehenge School."

The curator continued: "After the photo, they learnt a little more about archeoastronomy in our education room, and the weather couldn't have been better!"

The Major Lunar Standstill will offer unique opportunities for exploration, research, and community engagement (Image: Nick Bull)

A range of Major Lunar Standstill themed events, such as the Chinese Moon Festival, and the Moons and Megaliths at the Stonehenge Planetarium, are to be held this Autumn and Winter.

Here is a full list of events:

  • September 15: Chinese Moon Festival at Stonehenge.
  • September 23-24:  Moonrise at Chimney Rock, Colorado - Online event.
  • October 26 – Dec 31: Major Lunar Standstill exhibition.
  • October 26 – November 3: Moons and Megaliths at the Stonehenge Planetarium.
  • December - February: Lunar storytelling at Stonehenge.
  • Early 2025 – Major Lunar Standstill lectures.

For more information, click here.