Ancient Skies

Magazine Overview

Title: Ancient Skies
Issue: Volume 21, Number 3
Date: July-August, 1994
Publisher: Ancient Astronaut Society
Country: USA
Price: $5.00
Cover Headline: "Come Search With Us!"

This issue of Ancient Skies, the official logbook of the Ancient Astronaut Society, presents several articles exploring evidence for advanced prehistoric civilizations, ancient astronomical knowledge, and mythological interpretations of advanced technology.

Prehistoric Maps by Maurice Chatelain

Maurice Chatelain, a retired space scientist, argues that advanced civilizations existed on Earth long before recorded history, citing evidence from prehistoric monuments and ancient calendars. He highlights medieval maps, particularly the Piri Reis map discovered in 1931, as crucial evidence. This 1513 Turkish map, drawn on gazelle skin, is believed to be a copy of much older charts from the Library of Alexandria. Chatelain notes that the map depicts the Antarctic continent free of ice, with rivers and lakes, suggesting it was not glaciated thousands of years ago.

The map is a plane circular projection of a spherical cap, centered near Alexandria. Chatelain calculated its original dimensions and orientation, suggesting the Equator was at 30 degrees East and 23 degrees North when the map was designed, implying a different axial tilt and an ice-free Antarctic. He discusses the map's scale and units, linking them to the dimensions of the Great Pyramid and the 'Pyramid Inch'. The map's accuracy in depicting Africa, contrasted with inaccuracies for the Americas and Antarctica (unknown to medieval designers), is analyzed. Chatelain posits that the map's design might indicate the use of spherical trigonometry and an Earth with no seasons, as the rotation axis was perpendicular to the Ecliptic.

He further explores the possibility of a higher sea level and warmer climate in the past, explaining the presence of large lakes and rivers on the map. The discrepancy in distances on the southern part of the map is attributed to a ten-degree westward tilt of the North/South axis. Chatelain concludes that the Piri Reis map provides indisputable evidence of an advanced civilization that explored and measured the Earth before the ice ages.

More on the Great Pyramid by Maurice Chatelain

Chatelain continues his exploration of the Great Pyramid, focusing on the King's Chamber dimensions. He notes that each dimension is the square root of a round number of square cubits, relating these to geometric principles and units like ALPHA and BETA. He suggests that the Egyptians used a small unit of 5.25 mm (ALPHA) and another of 4.695743 mm (BETA), with specific ratios between them. Chatelain also points out the presence of PI and PHI factors, as well as square roots of three, five, and seven, within the pyramid's measurements. He highlights the number 86,400 (seconds in a day) in relation to the pyramid's areas and a PI factor that could be used for calculations involving spheres and circles.

Looking Over Old Copies of Ancient Skies

This section briefly touches upon the planet Venus. Chatelain notes that while previous articles in Ancient Skies have discussed Venus's connection to ancient astronomy, her rotation period was a mystery until 1961. It is now known that Venus has a retrograde rotation, taking 243 terrestrial days, longer than its orbital period of 224.7 days. This leads to a 'Venusian Day' of 116.8 terrestrial days. The article questions why Venus always shows the same side to Earth during inferior conjunction, suggesting a possible ancient observation from Venus to Earth, and notes that a slight discrepancy in synodic periods might indicate that Venus's influence on Earth was more significant in the past.

The Force Fields of Apollo by Kerry P. Ganza

Ganza explores the concept of 'force fields,' questioning whether they are purely science fiction or remnants of extraterrestrial technology used in antiquity. He examines the mythological figure of Apollo in Homer's Iliad, describing how Apollo uses 'mists' or 'cloaking devices' to become invisible and protect warriors like Patroclus, Aeneas, and Hector. Ganza suggests that these descriptions might not be mere literary devices but could represent the use of advanced science and technology by beings from space who took sides in the Trojan War.

The Cosmic Temple at Rennes-le-Chateau by Filip Coppens

Filip Coppens discusses the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau in France, popularized by the book 'Holy Blood Holy Grail.' He focuses on the work of David Wood and Ian Campbell, who identified a giant temple with geometric designs, including a pentagram and hexagram, in the landscape around the town. These designs are dated to the twelfth century but are believed to be older, possibly from Celtic times or around 2000 BC. Coppens suggests that an alien intelligence may have designed and built this temple, noting its 'Egyptian' characteristics and myths of Isis, Osiris, and Set. He proposes that the temple's purpose was to warn humanity about a future comet impact, similar to the one that caused the extinction of dinosaurs, and that it might also serve as a gateway to other dimensions or for interstellar travel.

Railguns by William M. Wood

William M. Wood, who worked on railguns at Westinghouse, refutes claims made by Robin Collyns in a previous issue of Ancient Skies regarding the performance of experimental railguns. Wood states that claims of one-ton projectiles being fired at speeds exceeding 20 kilometers per second are untrue, requiring impractically long railguns and immense electromagnetic force. He provides figures from Ron Hawke of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, indicating that the highest velocity achieved for a 2-gram projectile is 11 km/s, and for a 2-kilogram projectile, only 3 km/s. Wood also dismisses claims that railguns could fire rockets into space at near light speed, citing relativistic effects and the immense energy required. He concludes that existing rockets are superior for acceleration and that railgun development has been hampered by funding issues and modest results.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue consistently explores the intersection of ancient history, mythology, and advanced technology, often through the lens of the ancient astronaut theory. The articles suggest that ancient civilizations possessed knowledge and capabilities far beyond what is conventionally accepted, potentially influenced by extraterrestrial contact or advanced ancient technologies. The magazine promotes a critical examination of historical and mythological texts, seeking evidence for these theories and encouraging readers to 'search with us' for these hidden truths. The editorial stance is clearly aligned with the ancient astronaut hypothesis, interpreting various phenomena through this framework.