Steven Kovach, Age 12, Of Staten Island, N.Y., for his question:

To what star do the pyramids point?

The pyramids of Egypt were built on square bases and their lofty peaks pointed to the center of the sky. The sloping walls faced north, south, east and west. In most cases, there was a false door on the west side of the pyramid through which the soul of the departed king was supposed to leave on his way to the setting sun. A temple for making offerings to the dead king was built facing the west wall of the pyramid.

The most important star to the Egyptians was Sirius, the brilliant dog star. Some experts suggest that the sloping air shafts inside some of the pyramids were intended to point to Sirius at its highest point in the heavens. But the bases of the buildings point to the four points of the ccmpass and the tops point directly overhead..