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Added new articles in the External Links Section

Added four new articles, all related to Babylonian Chronology.

41 thoughts on “Added new articles in the External Links Section”

    1. Author
      Reply

      Hi,
      very interesting articles as usual. I’ve checked out their conclusion and have to say that if the authors had been aware of the existence of UrukFSP perhaps they would have saved some time since UrukFSP is already calibrated on Stephenson’s work published in 2021. The results are practically coincident and this is proof that UrukFSP can be used profitably in scientific research of this kind.

  13. Author
    Author
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    SOLAR GEOMETRY AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ANNUAL CYCLE THROUGH ARCHITECTURE AND THE FUNERARY LANDSCAPE IN QUBBET EL HAWA.
    Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry Vol. 22, No 2, (2022), pp. 209-235 Open Access. Online & Print.

    ABSTRACT
    The longitudinal axes of the Middle Kingdom tombs excavated in the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa were precisely oriented to the summer and winter solstices. Located on the western side of the Nile, opposite Elephantine Island, the architectural design of these tombs differed greatly from that of the Old Kingdom with elongated spaces around these axes in relation to the solar cycle. As architecture, was excavated from the landscape itself, the presence of the sun was decisive in letting light in through the single doorway, which acted as a transitional threshold to project the sunlight indoors.
    Funerary complex No.33 followed the longitudinal direction of the intersolstice axis. This important architectural construction of the necropolis reflects the evolution of a typical Upper Egyptian funerary model during the Middle Kingdom. Analysis of the illumination of the architectural space throughout the year confirms that the continuous movement of the sun during its cycle can be observed inside. The starting point of this analysis, is these spatial results, aiming to find an explanation for the geometric composition and specific design of the different architectural elements which make this a rounded, beautiful and harmonious complex. The QH33 funerary complex was built following very specific planning, which reworked and refined a model of a community which aimed to connect the celestial geometry to the geographical landscape through this architecture.

    here

    1. Torlai
      Reply

      Questa ricerca sul complesso funerario QH33 è davvero molto interessante e da esaminare con calma (purtroppo anche a causa del mio inglese perso per strada…).Grazie.

  17. Author
    Author
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    Exactly, that’s the reason why UrukFSP ignores the topic. In my opinion ground-based measurements make no sense, uncertainty (0.1″) is much bigger than what they’re looking for. As the Italians say (and the French as well) here somebody is discussing the sex of Angels (*)

    (*) argue over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin

  18. Bercu
    Reply

    Hi
    NEW : on the IMCCE/Paris Observatory web site, it is now possible to compute occultations of planets, solar system objects and stars : https://ssp.imcce.fr/forms
    Using the search function (Rechercher), I have computed the occultation Jupiter-Mars observed by Gervase of Canterbury (UK) and Chinese astronomers (Beijing) on September 12, 1170.
    According to the IMCCE, in Beijing, the maximum of the occultation time was : 20:26:16 UT ; according to UrukFSP, same time. Bravo!
    Regards

  19. Bercu
    Reply

    Hi
    Another mutual occultation of planets : the Mercury – Venus occultation was observed by John Bevis on May 28, 1737 from Greenwich Observatory (UK). On the IMCCE/Paris Observatory web site (https://ssp.imcce.fr/forms/occultations/search), the maximum time of the occultation was : 21:48:17 UT. In perfect accordance again with UrukFSP 1.2. By the way, the IMCCE computes the occultations between -4700 and 2100.
    Regards

  20. Author
    Author
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    Hi,
    nice to hear that. Anyway I’m wondering:

    1) Why only in French? Simbad and Vizier are French sites after all…
    2) DeltaT algorithms used are questionable. A researcher would surely like to tinker with manually insertable values. This is one of the reasons why I created UrukFSP.
    3) Why Gregorian dates for ancient eclipses?

  21. Bercu
    Reply

    Hi
    It is only possible to choose French or English for the IMCCE home page (https://www.imcce.fr/): Fr or En to the right of the upper blue banner.
    This option for forms might be on their to-do list ?
    The ability to change deltaT values, like in UrukFSP, is actually very important for searches in the past.
    The IMCCE adopted the proleptic Gregorian calendar for eclipses before 1582 instead of the Julian calendar which confuses users who have not read the documentation. Ex. Solar eclipse of June 16, 1406 (Julian calendar) = June 25, 1406 (proleptic Gregorian calendar). I don’t know the reason for this choice. All other authors use the Julian calendar.
    “By convention, the date of an eclipse corresponds to the date of the maximum of the eclipse. It is given in the proleptic Gregorian calendar” (source : IMCCE documentation).
    This is why I use UrukFSP for my own research and the JPL (Horizons) and IMCCE sites to check that I have not made a mistake in the parameters.
    Regards.

    1. Author
      Author
      Reply

      Hi,
      Yet another interesting article that concerns me closely this time 🙂

      Merry Xmas to you and more importantly Happy New Year.

      A.C.

  29. Author
    Author
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    Added to the list

    Title: Examination of early Chinese records of solar eclipses
    Authors: Liu, C., Liu, X., & Ma, L.
    Journal: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage (ISSN 1440-2807), Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 53 – 63 (2003).
    Bibliographic Code: 2003JAHH….6…53L

    Title: Astronomical Records in the Chun-Chiu Chronicle
    Authors: Stephenson, F. R. & Yau, K. K. C.
    Journal: Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol.23, NO. 1/FEB, P. 31, 1992
    Bibliographic Code: 1992JHA….23…31S

  31. Author
    Author
    Reply

    Just added this article written in 2008

    Title: How Reliable Are Archaic Records of Large Solar Eclipses?
    Authors: Stephenson, F. R.
    Journal: Journal for the History of Astronomy (ISSN 0021-8286), Vol. 39, Part 2, No. 135, p. 229 – 250 (2008)
    Bibliographic Code: 2008JHA….39..229S

    Here

    Title: Accuracy of Solar Eclipse Observations Made by Jesuit Astronomers in China
    Authors: Stephenson, F. R. & Fatoohi, L. J.
    Journal: Journal for the History of Astronomy, p.227
    Bibliographic Code: 1995JHA….26..227S

    Here

  34. Paul Griffin
    Reply

    contd., nov.30th 3340BC eclipse on elp200085/vsop87D software at 104,610 seconds Delta T,
    tidal acceleration -23.89461 arc seconds per julian centruy squared.
    On De431 nasa ephemeris 109990 Delta t seconds at tidal acceleration -25.8 arc seconds per julian century sqaured.
    on De441 nasa ephemeris at 110925 Delta T seconds at tidal acceleration -25.936 arc seconds per julian century squared.
    Seen in default values on voyager 3.0 and 4.5 software,Skymap pro 6,Lode Star Pro GS,
    Skymap 3.2.
    can be seen on Stellarium as an approximation when you load in De431 or De441 ephemeris
    (not written in manual how to do this properly),
    can be seen in Guide 8.0,9.0 and 9.1 when you tinker with the deltat t values in a file called
    Guide.dat.
    There are many other software programs out there and your Italian compatriot Prof. Aldo Vitagiano’s SOLEX software was instrumental in proving this eclipse which is now accompanied by 3 lunar eclipses around the years 3340BC and 3341BC.

  35. Author
    Author
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    Added new link to this paper:

    Refraction near the Horizon – (B. E. Schaefer, W. Liller 1990)
    https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/132705/pdf

    ABSTRACT
    We have studied the variation of astronomical refraction near the horizon. We have collected 144 measurements of refraction from seven sites by three techniques and have found that the variation of refraction on the horizon is substantially larger than has previously been realized. The rms deviation of our observations is 0?16, while the individual measurements range from 0?234 to 1?678. At the 95% confidence level the total refraction should vary over a range of 0?64. This surprising result has five applications: First, the time of sunrise can only be predicted with an accuracy of 4 min, despite all the extreme accuracy of modern positional astronomy. Second, during a low-altitude solar eclipse (such as is the 1990 eclipse viewed from Finland), the size and shape of the edge of the umbra will vary in an unpredictable manner by perhaps several kilometers, so that attempts to measure the diameter of the Sun may have an unexpected accuracy limit. Contact times may vary by typically 0.1 sec. Third, refraction variation will set a fundamental limit on the accuracy of any claimed archaeoastronomical alignment. Fourth, methods for aligning the Great Pyramid of Cheops to an accuracy of 2′ cannot involve near-horizon observations. Fifth, the historically important claim by A. Thom that British megalithic sites were used as accurate lunar observatories is shown to be wrong because the needed accuracy is much greater than can be obtained for long averaging intervals.

  39. Author
    Author
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    Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism.
    Nature. Published: 05 April 2023

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05751-z

    Abstract
    Explosive volcanism is a key contributor to climate variability on interannual to centennial timescales1. Understanding the far-field societal impacts of eruption-forced climatic changes requires firm event chronologies and reliable estimates of both the burden and altitude (that is, tropospheric versus stratospheric) of volcanic sulfate aerosol2,3. However, despite progress in ice-core dating, uncertainties remain in these key factors4. This particularly hinders investigation of the role of large, temporally clustered eruptions during the High Medieval Period (HMP, 1100–1300 ce), which have been implicated in the transition from the warm Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age5. Here we shed new light on explosive volcanism during the HMP, drawing on analysis of contemporary reports of total lunar eclipses, from which we derive a time series of stratospheric turbidity. By combining this new record with aerosol model simulations and tree-ring-based climate proxies, we refine the estimated dates of five notable eruptions and associate each with stratospheric aerosol veils. Five further eruptions, including one responsible for high sulfur deposition over Greenland circa 1182 ce, affected only the troposphere and had muted climatic consequences. Our findings offer support for further investigation of the decadal-scale to centennial-scale climate response to volcanic eruptions.

  40. Author
    Author
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    Joshua’s Celestial Miracle Was not an Eclipse: The Long and the Short, ‘Culture and Cosmos; A Journal of the History of Astrology and Cultural Astronomy’, 23. 1 (2019)

    Author : Marinus Anthony van der Sluijs

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343822728_Joshua's_Celestial_Miracle_Was_not_an_Eclipse_The_Long_and_the_Short_'Culture_and_Cosmos_A_Journal_of_the_History_of_Astrology_and_Cultural_Astronomy'_23_1

    ABSTRACT
    Humphreys & Waddington have recently suggested that the Biblical account involving Joshua’s control of the sun and moon (Joshua 10. 1-15) was inspired by an annular eclipse. Going by the text as given, it is shown that the explanation as an eclipse, whether annular or total, is unacceptable on calendrical, philological and physical grounds alike. The story’s possible historicity cannot be properly evaluated until it is placed in two cross-cultural and sometimes overlapping contexts: ritual utterances before battle designed to divine the outcome or provoke divine intervention in it and the mythology of solar arrests, reversals and radical alterations of the length of day. ‘Solar magic’ emerges as a common archaic practice in real life as well as legend. Some literary parallels are cited which have never before been linked with Joshua. All things considered, the tale may have originated as an embellished memory of some extraordinary natural event other than an eclipse, coinciding with a historical battle. A tempting possibility is the aerial passage of a fragmenting bolide, producing a meteorite shower and nocturnal illumination.

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