Rising 47 meters above the Petén rainforest canopy, Temple I at Tikal is the iconic pyramid-tomb of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I (r. 682-734 CE), who restored Tikal's power after its devastating 562 CE defeat by Caracol. At its peak around 700 CE, Tikal was home to 100,000 people across 60 square kilometers, making it one of the largest Maya city-states. Five great temple-pyramids mark the ceremonial center, their roof combs engineered to amplify sound — a handclap in the Great Plaza produces reverberations between Temples I and II that functioned as a natural public address system. At Giza bearing 50.74° with Venus cycle and Pleiades alignments, Tikal sits on a limestone karst landscape riddled with underground rivers and caves (the Maya underworld, Xibalba). The causeways (sacbeob) connecting its temple complexes encode astronomical sight-lines, creating a city-scale instrument for tracking celestial cycles across the forest canopy.
Wikipedia| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 76.3° | — | 283.7° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 96.8° | — | 263.2° | — | |
| Sirius | 107.3° | — | 252.7° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 48.8° | — | 311.3° | — | |
| Regulus | 67.1° | — | 292.9° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 81.9° | — | 278.1° | — | |
| Antares | 107.9° | — | 252.1° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 133.4° | — | 226.6° | — | |
| Arcturus | 54.2° | — | 305.8° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 114.5° | — | 245.4° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 65.5° | — | 294.5° | — | |
| Deneb | 49.5° | — | 310.5° | — | |
| Capella | 49.3° | — | 310.8° | — | |
| Castor | 55.6° | — | 304.4° | — | |
| Pollux | 58.8° | — | 301.2° | — | |
| Procyon | 81.7° | — | 278.3° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 86.9° | — | 273.1° | — | |
| Rigel | 105.3° | — | 254.7° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 89.8° | — | 270.2° | — | |
| Achernar | 172.1° | — | 187.9° | — | |
| Acrux | 142.3° | — | 217.7° | — | |
| Mimosa | 138.4° | — | 221.6° | — | |
| Altair | 84.0° | — | 276.0° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | 3.0° | — | 357.1° | — | |
| Alkaid | 21.0° | — | 339.0° | — | |
| Mizar | 12.2° | — | 347.8° | — | |
| Hamal | 79.6° | — | 280.4° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 93.4° | — | 266.6° | — | |
| Alnitak | 97.3° | — | 262.7° | — | |
| Mintaka | 96.2° | — | 263.8° | — | |
| Saiph | 104.8° | — | 255.2° | — | |
| Peacock | 153.6° | — | 206.4° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 155.0° | — | 205.0° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 141.4° | — | 218.6° | — | |
| Hadar | 139.5° | — | 220.5° | — | |
| Gacrux | 135.5° | — | 224.5° | — | |
| Naos | 127.2° | — | 232.8° | — | |
| Suhail | 127.2° | — | 232.8° | — | |
| Avior | 146.4° | — | 213.6° | — | |
| Atria | 153.7° | — | 206.3° | — | |
| Regor | 134.4° | — | 225.6° | — | |
| Alsephina | 140.1° | — | 219.9° | — | |
| Shaula | 122.2° | — | 237.8° | — | |
| Ankaa | 150.1° | — | 209.9° | — | |
| Menkent | 113.5° | — | 246.6° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 73.7° | — | 286.3° | — | |
| Eltanin | 32.6° | — | 327.4° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 58.6° | — | 301.4° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 71.3° | — | 288.7° | — | |
| Denebola | 60.6° | — | 299.4° | — | |
| Alhena | 75.1° | — | 284.9° | — | |
| Alphard | 90.4° | — | 269.6° | — | |
| Bharani | 82.6° | — | 277.4° | — | |
| Pushya | 65.2° | — | 294.8° | — | |
| Adhara | 120.0° | — | 240.0° | — | |
| Wezen | 116.7° | — | 243.3° | — | |
| Navi | 40.5° | — | 319.6° | — | |
| Schedar | 45.0° | — | 315.0° | — | |
| Nunki | 116.0° | — | 244.0° | — | |
| Canopus | 146.8° | — | 213.3° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 122.3° | — | 237.7° | — | |
| Sabik | 99.0° | — | 260.9° | — | |
| Scheat | 73.6° | — | 286.4° | — | |
| Enif | 89.2° | — | 270.8° | — | |
| Diphda | 123.7° | — | 236.3° | — | |
| Alphecca | 50.3° | — | 309.8° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 68.4° | — | 291.6° | — | |
| Spica | 86.9° | — | 273.1° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 87.3° | — | 272.7° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 72.0° | — | 288.0° | — | |
| Murzim | 111.0° | — | 249.0° | — | |
| Phact | 130.3° | — | 229.7° | — | |
| Mirfak | 50.1° | — | 309.9° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 63.7° | — | 296.3° | — | |
| Markab | 86.9° | — | 273.1° | — | |
| Algol | 60.0° | — | 300.0° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 100.7° | — | 259.3° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 104.4° | — | 255.6° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 65.4° | — | 294.6° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 114.6° | — | 245.4° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 72.7° | — | 287.3° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 107.3° | — | 252.7° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 59.8° | — | 300.2° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 120.2° | — | 239.8° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 70.4° | — | 289.6° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 109.6° | — | 250.4° | — |
| Landmark | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| giza | 50.74° | 11,784 km |
| angkor wat | 335.66° | 16,301 km |
| nazca | 154.85° | 3,899 km |
| teotihuacan | 287.20° | 1,010 km |
| stonehenge | 40.36° | 8,373 km |
| gobekli tepe | 40.67° | 11,914 km |
| machu picchu | 149.89° | 3,864 km |
| easter island | 203.73° | 5,369 km |
| cahokia | 359.06° | 2,384 km |
| sedona | 316.08° | 2,943 km |
| mecca | 53.91° | 13,030 km |
| jerusalem | 47.18° | 12,002 km |
| vatican | 46.78° | 9,695 km |
| lhasa | 359.12° | 14,802 km |
| kailash | 10.29° | 14,559 km |
| uluru | 250.73° | 15,723 km |
| tiwanaku | 147.46° | 4,402 km |
| chaco canyon | 322.80° | 2,766 km |
| mt shasta | 317.54° | 4,107 km |
| levis stadium | 311.91° | 3,873 km |