Astronomical Investigation to Verify the Calendar Theory of the Nasca Lines

A comprehensive astronomical investigation of the Nasca Lines and Palpa geoglyphs reveals that while individual straight lines align with the Sun and bright stars, the findings do not support the theory that these lines form an astronomical calendar system. The study systematically examined all documented astronomically oriented geoglyphs and straight lines using digital terrain models (DTM) to calculate azimuths and elevation angles, accounting for factors like atmospheric refraction and Earth's curvature. Custom software developed for this project facilitated precise calculations of celestial body positions during the Nasca period, which were then compared with the lines' orientations. Despite identifying alignments, the number of matches was insufficient to validate a calendar-based interpretation.

Richter, C., Teichert, B., & Pavelka, K. (2021). Astronomical Investigation to Verify the Calendar Theory of the Nasca Lines. Applied Sciences, 11(4), 1637. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041637