The Pi Circle
2008 · Below Barbury Castle, near Wroughton · Wiltshire · England
WHAT IT IS
A ratcheted spiral whose ten angular steps encode pi to ten digits, 3.141592654, with a small circle for the decimal point.
THE ALIEN READING
Called one of the most complex crop circles ever made; enthusiasts took a field that knows pi as proof of a mathematical intelligence (Fox News, 2008).
WHAT THE RECORD SAYS
Engineer Michael Reed, who decoded it, pointed out the last digit is correctly rounded and the number is written in base ten with a decimal point: human conventions. Scientists quoted at the time said planks and rope would do. No maker has come forward.
WHERE IT STANDS
Disputed. No maker has claimed it. Sceptics say people made it; proponents point to what they say people could not do.
STATUS IS OUR CURRENT ASSESSMENT, NOT A VERDICT · REVIEWED 5 OCT 2026
THE RECORD
- DATE
- 2008
- PLACE
- Below Barbury Castle, near Wroughton · Wiltshire · England
- MADE BY
- Unclaimed
- TYPE
- Messages & codes
- TECHNICAL
- Barley · ten-step spiral, about 150 ft across · found 1 June 2008, decoded 5 June
