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Question: Are the pyramids aligned with true north or magnetic north!?
I just learned that they were aligned with the cardinal directions!. Is this true north (my guess, based on sun movement) or are they aligned with the ever-changing magnetic north!?

An interesting fact!. Thanks for your help!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I wasn't sure, but your well-reasoned guess is correct!.

From Wikipedia 'Great Pyramid'
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Great_Pyram!.!.!.

"The sides of the square are closely aligned to the four cardinal compass points to within 3 minutes of arc and is based not on magnetic north, but true north!."

There's also another interesting fact there that I wasn't aware of; if you visit the page there's a link to an aerial photograph of what is described below:

"It is a little known fact that the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza is not a perfect square!. The base is a 4 pointed star, each of the sides of the pyramid is concave, i!.e!. each face of the pyramid is indented from the apex to the midpoint of the base!. This feature of its design can only be seen from the air, at certain times of the day!. It was first photographed in 1940!. Aerial photo by Groves, 1940!.

This concavity divides each of the apparent four sides in half, creating a very special and unusual eight-sided pyramid; and it is executed to such an extraordinary degree of precision as to enter the realm of the uncanny!. For, viewed from any ground position or distance, this concavity is quite invisible to the naked eye!. The hollowing-in can be noticed only from the air, and only at certain times of the day!. This explains why virtually every available photograph of the Great Pyramid does not show the hollowing-in phenomenon, and why the concavity was never discovered until the age of aviation!. It was discovered quite by accident in 1940, when a British Air Force pilot, P!. Groves, was flying over the pyramid!. He happened to notice the concavity and captured it in the now-famous photograph!."

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