Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Observational Records of Stars in Indian Astronomical Texts–IV (Cancer and Leo)


Affiliations
1 Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, High Grounds, Bengaluru 560 001, India
2 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411 008, India
 

In an effort to search observational records of stars in Indian Astronomical texts, we have compiled all bright stars in various texts from Sūryasiddhānta to Siddhāntadarpaṇa by Candraśekhara Sāmanta of the 19th century. We have used the well-known 27 nakṣatras on the ecliptic for fixing the coordinates. This has resulted in unambiguous identification of faint stars. A scale similar to the magnitude scale of brightness in one of the texts has further helped in identifying the faint stars. Here we discuss the stars grouped under Cancer and Leo. It is interesting that Puṣya is described as one with the appearance of a cloud. Two names hitherto unknown and a mention of the pole of the ecliptic are also reported.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Venketeswara Pai, R. and Shylaja, B. S., Curr. Sci., 2016, 111, 1551–1558.

  • Burgess, E., J. Am. Orient. Soc., 1860, 6, 141–498.

  • Abhyankar, K. D., Pre-Siddhantic Indian Astronomy, ISERVE, Hyderabad, 2002.

  • Shylaja, B. S. and Venketeswara Pai, R., Curr. Sci., 2018, 115, 570–573.

  • Colebrook, H. T., Annual Report of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1807, pp. 323–376.

  • Ray, J. C., Siddhāntadarpaṇa of Chandraśekhara Sāmanta, Institute of Orissan Culture, Bhubhaneshwar, 1998.

  • Pingree, D., In Dictionary of Scientific Biography, 1978, vol. 15, pp. 533– 633.

  • Raika, K. K. Edition of Yantrarāja and its Commentary by Malayendu Sūri, Nirnayasagar Press, Mumbai, 1936.

  • Manuscript of Siddhātarāja/Sarvasiddhāntarāja by Nityānanda, No. 206 of A.1883-84, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, unpublished, Pune.

  • Ohashi, Y., Indian J. Hist. Sci., 1994, 29(2), 155–313.

  • Venketeswara Pai, R., Ramasubramanian, K., Sriram, M. S. and Srinivas, M. D., Karaṇapaddhati of Putumana Somayājī, with Translation and Detailed Mathematical Notes, Springer, Singapore, 2018.

  • Venketeswara Pai, R. and Shylaja, B. S., Curr. Sci., 2019, 117(8), 1383–1386.

  • Sarma, S. R., 2018; https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php

  • Shylaja, B. S. and Venketeswara Pai, R., In Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and South Asia-Pacific Region (eds Orchiston, W., Sule, A. and Vahia, M. N.), Hindusthan Book Agency, 2018, Springer, 2019, pp. 54–58.

  • Liske, J. H., Lederle, T., Fricke, W. and Morando, B., Astron. Astrophys., 1977, 58, 1–16.

  • The Indian Astronomical Ephemeris, Positional Astronomy Centre, Kolkata, 2019.


Abstract Views: 227

PDF Views: 66




  • Observational Records of Stars in Indian Astronomical Texts–IV (Cancer and Leo)

Abstract Views: 227  |  PDF Views: 66

Authors

B. S. Shylaja
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, High Grounds, Bengaluru 560 001, India
R. Venketeswara Pai
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411 008, India

Abstract


In an effort to search observational records of stars in Indian Astronomical texts, we have compiled all bright stars in various texts from Sūryasiddhānta to Siddhāntadarpaṇa by Candraśekhara Sāmanta of the 19th century. We have used the well-known 27 nakṣatras on the ecliptic for fixing the coordinates. This has resulted in unambiguous identification of faint stars. A scale similar to the magnitude scale of brightness in one of the texts has further helped in identifying the faint stars. Here we discuss the stars grouped under Cancer and Leo. It is interesting that Puṣya is described as one with the appearance of a cloud. Two names hitherto unknown and a mention of the pole of the ecliptic are also reported.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv117%2Fi10%2F1744-1747