Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple in the city of Siem Reap, a small town in the northern part of Cambodia. This temple wake up in the 11th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II.
Angkor Wat Angkor is derived from the word (Sanskrit), which means "Country" and Wat (Khmer) meaning "Temple". So, literally Angkor Wat means "Temple of the State". In the Siem Reap city there is a temple complex, Angkor Wat itself is at the center of the temple complex.
An American astronomer named Robert Stancel, researching and observing the size and dimensions of the temple which is concerned with astronomy. As a result, Angkor Wat has alignment with the sun and moon. Cambodia's own calendar is luni-solar Calendar, the calendar is calculated based on phases of the moon and the sun's position. Of course, the observation of the sky object must be done so that the calendar can be arranged. Apparently this Angkor Wat temple has another function, namely as the observations of the sun and moon. Events of interest occur when the sun is at the vernal equinox (right across the equator, the sun toward the northern sky) when observed from the front of the library entrance gate west, the sun will rise just above the temple tower in the middle. This event is used as a sign by the Khmer Nation to calculate the position of the sun. For the month of observation, we found several positions at the site of the temple which is used as a benchmark observation month. A wonderful thing is not it? Angkor Wat was built not only as a mere shrine but has other functions as an observation station sky. In modern language we call astronomy observatory.
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