The golden stupa of Pha That Luang rises 45 meters above Vientiane, its 69-meter base surrounded by 30 smaller stupas forming a geometric mandala visible from the air. Originally built over a 3rd-century Ashokan stupa believed to contain a breastbone of the Buddha, the current structure dates to King Setthathirat's 1566 reconstruction. The design encodes Buddhist cosmology: three ascending levels represent the material world, the world of forms, and the formless world. Covered in 500 kg of gold leaf, the stupa's lotus-bud finial catches first light at dawn — a calculated optical effect. At 295.42° bearing to Giza, Pha That Luang sits on the longitudinal corridor connecting the great Buddhist monuments of mainland Southeast Asia.
WikipediaStellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 87.1° | — | 272.9° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 105.3° | — | 254.7° | — | |
| Sirius | 111.9° | — | 248.1° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 44.5° | — | 315.4° | — | |
| Regulus | 64.7° | — | 295.3° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.0° | — | 268.0° | — | |
| Antares | 97.4° | — | 262.6° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 137.2° | — | 222.8° | — | |
| Arcturus | 41.6° | — | 318.4° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 105.4° | — | 254.6° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 74.7° | — | 285.4° | — | |
| Deneb | 51.3° | — | 308.7° | — | |
| Capella | 59.3° | — | 300.7° | — | |
| Castor | 61.4° | — | 298.6° | — | |
| Pollux | 63.9° | — | 296.1° | — | |
| Procyon | 85.2° | — | 274.8° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.1° | — | 264.9° | — | |
| Rigel | 114.2° | — | 245.8° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 98.7° | — | 261.3° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 132.8° | — | 227.2° | — | |
| Mimosa | 128.7° | — | 231.3° | — | |
| Altair | 81.0° | — | 278.9° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | 5.9° | — | 354.1° | — | |
| Alkaid | — | — | — | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 82.4° | — | 277.6° | — | |
| Alnitak | 105.6° | — | 254.4° | — | |
| Mintaka | 104.8° | — | 255.2° | — | |
| Saiph | 112.6° | — | 247.4° | — | |
| Peacock | 146.4° | — | 213.6° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 148.6° | — | 211.4° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 130.8° | — | 229.2° | — | |
| Hadar | 128.8° | — | 231.3° | — | |
| Gacrux | 126.0° | — | 234.0° | — | |
| Naos | 127.5° | — | 232.6° | — | |
| Suhail | 124.5° | — | 235.5° | — | |
| Avior | 143.6° | — | 216.4° | — | |
| Atria | 141.9° | — | 218.1° | — | |
| Regor | 133.7° | — | 226.3° | — | |
| Alsephina | 137.2° | — | 222.8° | — | |
| Shaula | 112.5° | — | 247.5° | — | |
| Ankaa | 158.9° | — | 201.1° | — | |
| Menkent | 102.6° | — | 257.4° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 81.9° | — | 278.1° | — | |
| Eltanin | 27.8° | — | 332.2° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 48.6° | — | 311.4° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 63.0° | — | 297.0° | — | |
| Denebola | 53.5° | — | 306.6° | — | |
| Alhena | 82.2° | — | 277.8° | — | |
| Alphard | 89.0° | — | 271.0° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.0° | — | 266.9° | — | |
| Pushya | 67.1° | — | 292.9° | — | |
| Adhara | 124.0° | — | 236.0° | — | |
| Wezen | 120.4° | — | 239.6° | — | |
| Navi | 50.3° | — | 309.7° | — | |
| Schedar | 54.4° | — | 305.6° | — | |
| Nunki | 108.9° | — | 251.1° | — | |
| Canopus | 150.1° | — | 209.9° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 113.8° | — | 246.2° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 79.8° | — | 280.2° | — | |
| Enif | 91.4° | — | 268.6° | — | |
| Diphda | 132.9° | — | 227.1° | — | |
| Alphecca | 38.8° | — | 321.2° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 59.7° | — | 300.3° | — | |
| Spica | 76.9° | — | 283.1° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 76.3° | — | 283.7° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 61.1° | — | 298.9° | — | |
| Murzim | 117.2° | — | 242.8° | — | |
| Phact | 137.4° | — | 222.6° | — | |
| Mirfak | 61.2° | — | 298.8° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 54.0° | — | 306.0° | — | |
| Markab | 92.7° | — | 267.3° | — | |
| Algol | 71.0° | — | 289.0° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 103.4° | — | 256.6° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 105.3° | — | 254.7° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 65.3° | — | 294.7° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 114.7° | — | 245.3° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 72.6° | — | 287.4° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 107.4° | — | 252.6° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 59.7° | — | 300.3° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 120.3° | — | 239.7° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 70.3° | — | 289.7° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 109.7° | — | 250.3° | — |
Convergence Events (6)
295.4°
Pleiades (Alcyone) Set
Maya, Greek, Aboriginal, Hindu (Krittika), Japanese (Subaru)
Δ 0.0°
294.7°
Hamal Set
Babylonian, Arabic (the ram), Hindu, Chinese
Δ 0.7°
294.7°
Summer Solstice Sunset
Universal
Δ 0.7°
292.6°
Kornephoros Set
Chinese (Tianshi/Heavenly Market), Sumerian, Arabic
Δ 2.8°
292.6°
Pushya (Gamma Cancri) Set
Hindu/Vedic (most auspicious nakshatra), Chinese (Gui), Babylonian
Δ 2.8°
298.2°
Alphecca Set
Celtic (Caer Arianrhod), Arabic, Aboriginal, Pawnee (council ring)
Δ 2.8°
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction