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** General questions about UrukFSP **

Here I am. Lately due to other commitments I have slowed down the development activities related to UrukFSP, but I am still working on it especially as regards the graphic representation of the totality or annularity path of solar eclipses. The analytic work should be finished, thanks to what I have been able to deduce from the Explanatory Supplement of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac and a book published by Jean Meeus concerning the prediction of Solar Eclipses. This code is now under test, and in the meantime I am trying to find data on the geographical representation of the terrestrial continents, in order to project the mathematical data obtained.
On the other hand, I seem to notice, apart from my 3 loyal readers as well as users of this software, and whom I thank for their presence, a little interest in this type of application. I detect dozens of downloads from the site, but the complete lack of feedback makes me believe that they are “passing” users, not very interested in this type of project. I will therefore try to evaluate in the coming months what the fate of UrukFSP will be and if it will be appropriate to continue.

In the meantime, I just have to thank Jean Claude Bercu, Kamil Kamoucka and Luigi Torlai for their support to the project.

Best regards to you all
Alberto Cavalli

15 thoughts on “** General questions about UrukFSP **”

  1. Buongiorno. A mio modesto parere il suo software, indipendentemente dal fatto (non banale) che è gratuito, può essere collocato tranquillamente nella fascia top degli attrezzi utili agli astrofili più evoluti e nel campo dell’archeoastronomia. Mi auguro che trovi tempo e stimoli giusti per non mollare!
    Cordiali saluti
    Luigi Torlai

  2. I discovered this program a week ago and find it interesting. Great job! I have been interested in mathematical astronomy for many years (Meeus, Vitagliano). I am looking forward to the further development.

    1. Author

      Hi, happy new year to you too.
      The website you’ve just found is really amazing. The author, Prof. Marek Zawilski, has collected a very interesting series of infos normally scattered around the internet or in specialised publications. I hope that he can go further back in time even if it becomes more and more difficult, I admit it.
      Thank you for submitting this info.

      AC

  3. Buonasera
    Sto cercando di valutare la declinazione di Sirio nel 9227 a.C. per Gobekli Tepe, ma mi viene calcolata per la data odierna, nonostante nei riquadri appaia correttamente impostata.
    Grazie

    1. Author

      Hi,
      the citation of G.Magli, using Starry Night Pro, is most likely referred to 9000 BCE. UrukFSP gives for that epoch a declination of -51° 43′.

      Regards
      A,C.

  4. Buongiorno
    Infatti ieri sera ho fatto qualche simulazione del cielo sulla prima apparizione di Sirio a Gobekly Tepe con Uruk 1.3.5A e non risulterebbe visibile almeno fino al 9.000 a.C.
    L.Torlai

  5. Great program.Do not give up because of perceived lack of user interest.The real work begins now. Missin from your historical locations is the annular solar eclipse of Nov. 30th. 3340BC at Loughcrew site in Ireland.Long. 7.1325 W,Lat. 53.7441 N, alt. 244m.Discovered by me over two decades ago.I now have it proved beyond any shadow of doubt. It has taken me this long to do that research. astronomical software will have to change the following.
    1)Refraction values are definitely less in neolithic and bronze ages.This effects arc of vision,extinction angles etc.
    2)eclipse records can no longer be accepted without proofs.
    3) Other eclipse researchers going back to neolithic times HAVE NOT proved their eclipses
    Please feel free to email me

    1. Author

      Hello,
      I found some indirect news about your work (1997, if I am correct) concerning the annular solar eclipse occurred on 3340 BCE, but I couldn’t find any reference to a specific article you wrote about this eclipse. Can you kindly tell me if I can access to an article or paper so I can better realise why you think that this annular eclipse was actually visibile from Ireland. Modern estimations of DeltaT for the epoch BCE 3340 (I mean JPL, IMCCE) show a value close to 84000-85000 sec., apparently incompatible with the higher values (104000 sec. at least) required for visibility in Ireland.

      Best Regards
      Alberto Cavalli

      1. Hi Alberto,
        contrary to popular belief Stephenson’s delta T polynominals and quadratic equations
        i.e -20 =30*t*t and 32.5*t*t dont work for eclipses prior to 1000BC.They give too short
        values. Stephenson had an older polynominal formula 1830 -405t +46.5t
        from 1986 with co author Houlden that works accurately enough with only semi analytical approximations(French ephemerides elp2000 series/vsop87).Also Vitaglianos SOLEX
        program allows user to change BOTH delta t and Tidal acceleration values in searching
        for eclipse confirmation.No other program does this,not even stellarium.
        i found the nov 30,3340BC eclipse in default mode on the French ephemeris Elp200085/
        vsop87D program and used SOLEX to eliminate all other possible contenders because
        the 3340BC elclipse is annular and had a solar limb brake on the south axis of the mideclipse point from that Irish location. Americanphysicist Robert Newton noticed
        that if you change the tidal acceleration value you change the geocentric latitude of the Moon in a small way.Therefore you can pinpoint the tidal acceleration for this type of eclipse
        IF its in graphic form(pictorially) .You cannot do that for any textual eclipse records that
        Stephenson and others do because of lack of measurable info in the texts that will
        separate out the delta t and tidal effects.
        When I used solex software I split up the delta t values for each split tidal value to
        generate possible eclipse doppelgangers and discovered that there was no other eclipse
        possibility except 3340BC in Ireland.This eclipse has a saros number -50 and an Inex number 1 which I worked out.Early in the 2000s the defacto stance with astronomical
        software was that you couldnt get any accurate eclipse going back in time to BC dates.
        there was no disproof of that statement.It was just a general stance by academics.
        I investigated the eclipse and discovered 3 separate stones which have details of the
        eclipse in setting phase,mid eclipse and two days prior to eclipse.
        I could go on but some critics claim that everything is paredolia these days but that is not
        the case for these sets of eclipses.They tie in to an alignment from the stone megalithic
        cairnL that takes in a solar calendar date that corresponds to the 2days before eclipse
        stone carvings.If I had your postal address i will gladly provide you with more info as this
        method on line is not the best way.As regards publishing,I’m still working on it.
        As regards other eclipse researchers who have published alleged solar eclipse ‘records’
        as far back as Neolithic times i.e 3653BC etc.they don’t have any proofs for this.
        It is just their interpretations of baylonian cylindar seals.However,one researcher has
        criticised Stephensons Delta T model and others from japan have also questioned his
        approach.
        what can I say.
        I had on old website in the wayback machine http://www.bluhorizonlines.org BUT much of the
        preliminary work on these eclipses is now superceded by in deep analysis these
        last 2 decades.
        Best Regards
        Paul Griffin

        you

  6. Hello Alberto cavalli,
    i made an error in my last post.The 3340BC solar eclipse can be found as saros -50 and
    inex +55 (not -1 as i said earlier).This can be found on Luca Quaglia’s excel spreadsheet
    of all solar eclipses in TT time scale. Its on Sheet number 1 at Column 1 H and Row 117.
    Can I take this opportunity to ask for your written permission to incorporate 2 screen grabs
    from the Urukfsp program to illustrate particular events.What do you need from me to give me
    permission to include them in an upcoming book on megalithic astronomy?
    Please reply to my email address explorerastr@gmail.com.
    thanking you,
    P.S. how did you calibrate the RC Delta t list in your INFO drop down menu, I’m curious
    about this.

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