DOCSLIB.ORG

Astronomical and Mathematical Knowledge and Calendars During the Early Helladic Era in Aegean “Frying Pan” Vessels

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Astronomical and Mathematical Knowledge and Calendars During the Early Helladic Era in Aegean “Frying Pan” Vessels Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 15, No.1 (2015) pp. 135-149 Copyright © 2015 MAA Open Access. Printed in Greece. All rights reserved. ASTRONOMICAL AND MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CALENDARS DURING THE EARLY HELLADIC ERA IN AEGEAN “FRYING PAN” VESSELS M. Tsikritsis1, X. Moussas1, D. Tsikritsis2 1 Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, Faculty of Physics, School of Sci- ence, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece 2University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom Received: 18/08/2014 Corresponding author: X.Moussas ([email protected]) Accepted: 18/12/2014 ABSTRACT Analysis of the symbols engraved on prehistoric unknown use terracotae, the so called frying pan vessels (Teganoschema), reveal a symbolic writing that depicts astronomical phenomena, that are complex calendars based on the Sun and the Moon and all then known planets. The frying pan vessels are mainly found in Cyclades, and around the Ae- gean, Crete, Attica, and Thessaly. They are artifacts of the Cycladic civilization of the Ear- ly Helladic Era. They have been found mainly in graves and settlements. The first find- ings came to light during the late nineteenth century in the islands of Cyclades and their possible use is still causing strong scientific interest, as it is unknown. Until now, archae- ologists could not determine their use and the meaning of their representations. It was believed that these vessels were used in funeral rituals, therefore depicted patterns like the sun and the sea may be associated with beliefs about the afterlife. We have studied the morphology and the representations of the Cycladic frying pan vessels that are found in museums and in literature dating from the middle of the 4th millennium. In this paper we argue that the Cycladic frying pan contain calendars that are not only based on the periodicities of the Sun and Moon, but in a very advanced knowledge of the movements of the planets, their periodicities in relation to the Earth and the phases of Venus, which is used as calendar, as well as pregnancy and birth predictor calculator.. KEYWORDS: calendars, prehistoric astronomy, prehistoric mathematics, ancient astron- omy, ancient mathematics, frying pan vessels, pregnancy calculator, prehistoric Greece, prehistoric Europe, Aegean, Cyclades. 136 M. TSIKRITSIS et al 1. INTRODUCTION summations. The symbols vary with time The role of astronomy is crucial in all so- and region in the Greek seas. cieties from the dawn of humanity. Socie- Frequently terracotae that have the peri- ties from prehistoric times realize that their od of Venus have an eight rayed star like lives depend upon climate and seasons the Macedonian star, which naturally is which they realize change with the changes related with the eight year period of Venus, of the sunrise position on the horizon. while one of them has a five rayed star Gatherers relate collection of food, fruits which represents the 5 synodic periods of and hunters and fishermen organize fish- Venus in 8 solar years, which is one of the ing and hunting, with seasons and the symbols of Pythagoreans. Consequently phases of the Moon. Eventually they real- one can say that there was some sort of Py- ize that using astronomy and appropriate thagoreans four millennia before Pythago- mathematics enables humans to know ras. when to act properly in agriculture, to cul- tivate, to seed etc. Ancient civilizations 2. PERHISTORIC ASTRONOMY AND governed their lives influenced by natural FRYING PAN VESSELS phenomena, especially with the movement At this point some simple astronomical of the Moon (Liritzis and Kosmatos, 2005). knowledge is presented to understand bet- In this article new evidence based on the ter the astronomical finds on frying pan interpretation of marks and decorations on vessels. The Sun is the centre of the solar prehistoric terracotae (4400 to 2000 BCE) system and the planets move in ellipses named frying pan vessels (from their around the Sun. As humans observe the shape) indicates that during the Early Hel- sky every night they see the stars rotate ladic Era humans in the Aegean probably around the axis of the Earth, or axis of the record astronomical phenomena with the Cosmos, at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. aim to predict the position of the planets Observing the sky for long they realize that based on their periodicities. some astronomical bodies some of the The study indicates that humans at pre- brighter ones, move with respect to the historic times in Greece have knowledge of fixed stars. These are the planets, the wan- astronomy, they understand and use suc- derers, as their name implies, that move cessfully causality with accurate mathemat- with variable speeds, but with certain peri- ics that they have developed to describe odicities. and use the “laws of nature” they discover, On these terracotae the astronomical i.e. the periodicities and periods of planets phenomena are recorded with their peri- and probably the phases of the planet Ve- ods, the periods of the planets as seen from nus. the Earth, as a human living on Earth sees This study of the symbols on these terra- them, in the Geocentric system. These cotae indicates that they have developed numbers are very characteristic and unique some “advanced” mathematics that enable and every planet has a distinct number of them to use various symbols that enable days which give the identity of the celestial them to use large numbers (hundreds of body, the particular planet. days, expressed with symbols each repre- The most important periodicity of a senting a number, unity, the number 7 or planet (or the Moon) is the synodic period, 14 or 28, using multiples of them and more which is the time period the planet takes to rarely another number sometimes ex- reappear in the same position with respect pressed with the number of rays of star like to the Sun, as seen from Earth. central image that probably represents the It can be measured from syzygy, i.e. Sun. when the planet and Earth are approxi- The numbers and their multiples are ex- mately on the same line with the Sun to the pressed with symbols, multiplications and next syzygy. In particular we call the con- Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, 15, 1 (2015) 135-149 ASTRONOMY AND CALENDARS IN PREHISTORIC GREECE 137 junction for the outer planets (Mars, Jupi- days. This is the result of the very strong ter, Saturn) when the planet is behind the light of the Sun that makes planets invisi- Sun, when the Earth the Sun and the planet ble, when they are at a small angular dis- are in approximately the same line. We call tance from the Sun. opposition when the Earth is right in the All planets move around the Sun in the middle between the Sun and the planet, same sense, the direct or prograde motion. again in almost a straight line. For the inner The planets as seen from Earth that moves planets, Mecrury and Venus, we call inferi- too around the Sun perform a backward or conjunction when the planet is between motion for a period of time as seen from the Sun and the Earth and superior con- Earth. This backward motion is called ret- junction, when the planet is behind the rograde motion. Sun. For the inner planets we name largest Venus performs a retrograde motion for Eastern (or Western) elongation from the 20 to 21 days before and after the inferior Sun, the largest angular distance from the conjunction, and reaches the highest ap- Sun as seen in the morning or evening. parent brightness approximately 35 to 37 Inner planets are the planets with orbits days before the inferior conjunction as inside the orbit of the Earth, i.e. Venus and well. When the maximum apparent bright- Mercury, which some ancient Greek au- ness is reached, Venus is found on the east thors call solar planets. Superior planets, of the horizon at approximately 47 degrees. those having orbits larger than the Earth‟s, Afterwards until the inferior conjunction, can have only superior conjunctions with its brightness and height respectively to the the Sun. horizon is reduced. Synodic period is the time required for a After the inferior conjunction, Venus is celestial body within the solar system to observed in the West with increasing return to the same or approximately the brightness and within the following 35 same position in its orbit relative to the days reaches its maximum brightness, Earth and Sun. For example, it can be the while this angular distance from the Sun is time between two conjunctions, opposi- again the 47 degrees. For the following 228 tions, etc. In this paper we will use the term days, the brightness decreases while Venus synodic period for denoting the time inter- goes around the Sun. After these 228 days val between two successive conjunctions of (9 lunar months), Venus becomes invisible a planet with the Sun. due to its passage behind the Sun, and then Venus appears in the sky before the sun- reappears in the East. During moonless rise for 263 days and then after the sunset nights, when Venus has maximum bright- for 263 more days. The 263 days corre- ness (at 47 degrees from the Sun), its light spond to approximately nine lunar months creates soft shadows on the ground seen by (265 days). The fact that Venus orbits the good observers, as described by ancient Sun in 224.65 days and the Earth at 365.256 astronomers. days, it can be determined the synodic pe- From our analysis of the symbols on the riod from the following relationship: frying pan vessels, it is possible that some prehistoric people that probably already Synodic period= knew well the motions and the periodici- 1/(1/224 .65 - 1/365.25)=583.91days ties of the Sun and the Moon, all the plan- ets were a high interest too, based on our The synodic or conjunction period of interpretations of the records on frying pan Venus is a period of 584 days.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Planet Positions: 1 Planet Positions
    Planet Positions: 1 Planet Positions As the planets orbit the Sun, they move around the celestial sphere, staying close to the plane of the ecliptic. As seen from the Earth, the angle between the Sun and a planet -- called the elongation -- constantly changes. We can identify a few special configurations of the planets -- those positions where the elongation is particularly noteworthy. The inferior planets -- those which orbit closer INFERIOR PLANETS to the Sun than Earth does -- have configurations as shown: SC At both superior conjunction (SC) and inferior conjunction (IC), the planet is in line with the Earth and Sun and has an elongation of 0°. At greatest elongation, the planet reaches its IC maximum separation from the Sun, a value GEE GWE dependent on the size of the planet's orbit. At greatest eastern elongation (GEE), the planet lies east of the Sun and trails it across the sky, while at greatest western elongation (GWE), the planet lies west of the Sun, leading it across the sky. Best viewing for inferior planets is generally at greatest elongation, when the planet is as far from SUPERIOR PLANETS the Sun as it can get and thus in the darkest sky possible. C The superior planets -- those orbiting outside of Earth's orbit -- have configurations as shown: A planet at conjunction (C) is lined up with the Sun and has an elongation of 0°, while a planet at opposition (O) lies in the opposite direction from the Sun, at an elongation of 180°. EQ WQ Planets at quadrature have elongations of 90°.
    [Show full text]
  • The Midnight Sky: Familiar Notes on the Stars and Planets, Edward Durkin, July 15, 1869 a Good Way to Start – Find North
    The expression "dog days" refers to the period from July 3 through Aug. 11 when our brightest night star, SIRIUS (aka the dog star), rises in conjunction* with the sun. Conjunction, in astronomy, is defined as the apparent meeting or passing of two celestial bodies. TAAS Fabulous Fifty A program for those new to astronomy Friday Evening, July 20, 2018, 8:00 pm All TAAS and other new and not so new astronomers are welcome. What is the TAAS Fabulous 50 Program? It is a set of 4 meetings spread across a calendar year in which a beginner to astronomy learns to locate 50 of the most prominent night sky objects visible to the naked eye. These include stars, constellations, asterisms, and Messier objects. Methodology 1. Meeting dates for each season in year 2018 Winter Jan 19 Spring Apr 20 Summer Jul 20 Fall Oct 19 2. Locate the brightest and easiest to observe stars and associated constellations 3. Add new prominent constellations for each season Tonight’s Schedule 8:00 pm – We meet inside for a slide presentation overview of the Summer sky. 8:40 pm – View night sky outside The Midnight Sky: Familiar Notes on the Stars and Planets, Edward Durkin, July 15, 1869 A Good Way to Start – Find North Polaris North Star Polaris is about the 50th brightest star. It appears isolated making it easy to identify. Circumpolar Stars Polaris Horizon Line Albuquerque -- 35° N Circumpolar Stars Capella the Goat Star AS THE WORLD TURNS The Circle of Perpetual Apparition for Albuquerque Deneb 1 URSA MINOR 2 3 2 URSA MAJOR & Vega BIG DIPPER 1 3 Draco 4 Camelopardalis 6 4 Deneb 5 CASSIOPEIA 5 6 Cepheus Capella the Goat Star 2 3 1 Draco Ursa Minor Ursa Major 6 Camelopardalis 4 Cassiopeia 5 Cepheus Clock and Calendar A single map of the stars can show the places of the stars at different hours and months of the year in consequence of the earth’s two primary movements: Daily Clock The rotation of the earth on it's own axis amounts to 360 degrees in 24 hours, or 15 degrees per hour (360/24).
    [Show full text]
  • Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres 30 December 2014, by Elizabeth Landau
    Dawn spacecraft begins approach to dwarf planet Ceres 30 December 2014, by Elizabeth Landau 2012, capturing detailed images and data about that body. "Ceres is almost a complete mystery to us," said Christopher Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Ceres, unlike Vesta, has no meteorites linked to it to help reveal its secrets. All we can predict with confidence is that we will be surprised." The two planetary bodies are thought to be different in a few important ways. Ceres may have formed later than Vesta, and with a cooler interior. Current evidence suggests that Vesta only retained a small This artist's concept shows NASA's Dawn spacecraft amount of water because it formed earlier, when heading toward the dwarf planet Ceres. Credit: radioactive material was more abundant, which NASA/JPL-Caltech would have produced more heat. Ceres, in contrast, has a thick ice mantle and may even have an ocean beneath its icy crust. (Phys.org)—NASA's Dawn spacecraft has entered Ceres, with an average diameter of 590 miles (950 an approach phase in which it will continue to close kilometers), is also the largest body in the asteroid in on Ceres, a Texas-sized dwarf planet never belt, the strip of solar system real estate between before visited by a spacecraft. Dawn launched in Mars and Jupiter. By comparison, Vesta has an 2007 and is scheduled to enter Ceres orbit in average diameter of 326 miles (525 kilometers), March 2015. and is the second most massive body in the belt.
    [Show full text]
  • Stellium Handbook Part
    2 Donna Cunningham’s Books on the Outer Planets If you’re dealing with a stellium that contains one or more outer planets, these ebooks will help you understand their role in your chart and explore ways to change difficult patterns they represent. Since The Stellium Handbook can’t cover them in the depth they deserve, you’ll gain a greater perspective through these ebooks that devote entire chapters to the meanings of Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto in a variety of contexts. The Outer Planets and Inner Life volumes are $15 each if purchased separately, or $35 for all three—a $10 savings. To order, go to PayPal.com and tell them which books you want, Donna’s email address ([email protected]), and the amount. The ebooks arrive on separate emails. If you want them sent to an email address other than the one you used, let her know. The Outer Planets and Inner Life, V.1: The Outer Planets as Career Indicators. If your stellium has outer planets in the career houses (2nd, 6th, or 10th), or if it relates to your chosen career, this book can give you helpful insights. There’s an otherworldly element when the outer planets are career markers, a sense of serving a greater purpose in human history. Each chapter of this e-book explores one of these planets in depth. See an excerpt here. The Outer Planets and Inner Life, v.2: Outer Planet Aspects to Venus and Mars. Learn about the love lives of people who have the outer planets woven in with the primary relationship planets, Venus and Mars, or in the relationship houses—the 7th, 8th, and 5th.
    [Show full text]
  • Communications with Mars During Periods of Solar Conjunction: Initial Study Results
    IPN Progress Report 42-147 November 15, 2001 Communications with Mars During Periods of Solar Conjunction: Initial Study Results D. Morabito1 and R. Hastrup2 During the initial phase of the human exploration of Mars, a reliable commu- nications link to and from Earth will be required. The direct link can easily be maintained during most of the 780-day Earth–Mars synodic period. However, dur- ing periods in which the direct Earth–Mars link encounters increased intervening charged particles during superior solar conjunctions of Mars, the resultant eects are expected to corrupt the data signals to varying degrees. The purpose of this article is to explore possible strategies, provide recommendations, and identify op- tions for communicating over this link during periods of solar conjunctions. A sig- nicant improvement in telemetry data return can be realized by using the higher frequency 32 GHz (Ka-band), which is less susceptible to solar eects. During the era of the onset of probable human exploration of Mars, six superior conjunctions were identied from 2015 to 2026. For ve of these six conjunctions, where the sig- nal source is not occulted by the disk of the Sun, continuous communications with Mars should be achievable. Only during the superior conjunction of 2023 is the signal source at Mars expected to lie behind the disk of the Sun for about one day and within two solar radii (0.5 deg) for about three days. I. Introduction During the initial phase of the human exploration of Mars, a reliable communications link to and from Earth will be required.
    [Show full text]
  • Dawn Mission to Vesta and Ceres Symbiosis Between Terrestrial Observations and Robotic Exploration
    Earth Moon Planet (2007) 101:65–91 DOI 10.1007/s11038-007-9151-9 Dawn Mission to Vesta and Ceres Symbiosis between Terrestrial Observations and Robotic Exploration C. T. Russell Æ F. Capaccioni Æ A. Coradini Æ M. C. De Sanctis Æ W. C. Feldman Æ R. Jaumann Æ H. U. Keller Æ T. B. McCord Æ L. A. McFadden Æ S. Mottola Æ C. M. Pieters Æ T. H. Prettyman Æ C. A. Raymond Æ M. V. Sykes Æ D. E. Smith Æ M. T. Zuber Received: 21 August 2007 / Accepted: 22 August 2007 / Published online: 14 September 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007 Abstract The initial exploration of any planetary object requires a careful mission design guided by our knowledge of that object as gained by terrestrial observers. This process is very evident in the development of the Dawn mission to the minor planets 1 Ceres and 4 Vesta. This mission was designed to verify the basaltic nature of Vesta inferred both from its reflectance spectrum and from the composition of the howardite, eucrite and diogenite meteorites believed to have originated on Vesta. Hubble Space Telescope observations have determined Vesta’s size and shape, which, together with masses inferred from gravitational perturbations, have provided estimates of its density. These investigations have enabled the Dawn team to choose the appropriate instrumentation and to design its orbital operations at Vesta. Until recently Ceres has remained more of an enigma. Adaptive-optics and HST observations now have provided data from which we can begin C. T. Russell (&) IGPP & ESS, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA e-mail: [email protected] F.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary: Only Some Selected Terms Are Defined Here; for a Full Glossary
    Glossary: Only some selected terms are defined here; for a full glossary consult an astronomical dictionary or google the word you need defined. Aphelion/Perihelion: Earth’s orbit is elliptical so the planet is farthest from the Sun at aphelion (first week of July) and closest at perihelion (first week of Jan). Apogee/Perigee: Since orbits around the Sun or Earth are usually ellipses, the farthest and nearest distances use “apo” (far) and “peri” (near) to describe the maximum and minimum values. For Earth and its satellites, apogee is the farthest point and perigee is the nearest (“geo” = Earth). The same prefixes are applied to orbits around the Moon -”luna” (apolune and perilune) Sun -”helios” (aphelion/perihelion), etc. Appulse: A close approach of two astronomical objects. i.e. minimum separation expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds of arc where 1 degree = 60 minutes and 1 minute = 60 seconds of arc. Note: the Moon and Sun are about 0.5 degrees or 30 minutes of arc across. Bolides or Fireballs: A very bright meteor (shooting star) that often can light up the ground and produce meteorites. See Meteor Shower below for more. Conjunction: The point in time when two stellar objects have the same Right Ascension. This is usually close to the minimum separation of the two objects but may not necessarily be minimum. (See also appulse above). When a planet is at Inferior Conjunction with the Sun it is between Earth and Sun and in Superior Conjunction, it is on the opposite side of the sun. At neither time are they easy (but not impossible) to see since they are near the Sun.
    [Show full text]
  • Vesta Rules the February Dusk Skies 10 February 2016, by David Dickinson
    Vesta rules the February dusk skies 10 February 2016, by David Dickinson above the western horizon at sunset, right along the Cetus-Pisces border. Vesta is worth tracking down this month, as it moves south of and parallel to another solar system resident: +5.9 magnitude Uranus. Follow both Vesta and Uranus, and you can see the difference in distance between the two betrayed by their motion: Vesta covers 10 degrees through the 29 day leap month, while Uranus spans just over one degree. Vesta and Uranus are 2.9 AU and 20.5 AU away from the Earth this month, respectively. A fitting pairing with the ice giant world in the icy month of February. The brave new world of 4 Vesta snaps into focus. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Missing out on the morning planetary action? February sees all five naked eye planets in the dawn sky, though that's about to change in March. But the good news is, now is the time to hunt for a sometimes planet, sometimes asteroid in the early evening. The path of 4 Vesta and Uranus through February. Note We're talking about 4 Vesta. The 4th identified the Eris photobomb (!) Credit: Starry Night Education resident of the asteroid belt, discovered by Software Heinrich Olbers in 1807, Vesta made its way into many planetary listings in the 19th century before its demotion to asteroid. It then enjoyed a very brief six month resurgence as a planet in 2006 The waxing crescent moon also pays the pair a along with Ceres and Eris (nee Xena) before the visit, passing between the two on February 12th.
    [Show full text]
  • Iso and Asteroids
    r bulletin 108 Figure 1. Asteroid Ida and its moon Dactyl in enhanced colour. This colour picture is made from images taken by the Galileo spacecraft just before its closest approach to asteroid 243 Ida on 28 August 1993. The moon Dactyl is visible to the right of the asteroid. The colour is ‘enhanced’ in the sense that the CCD camera is sensitive to near-infrared wavelengths of light beyond human vision; a ‘natural’ colour picture of this asteroid would appear mostly grey. Shadings in the image indicate changes in illumination angle on the many steep slopes of this irregular body, as well as subtle colour variations due to differences in the physical state and composition of the soil (regolith). There are brighter areas, appearing bluish in the picture, around craters on the upper left end of Ida, around the small bright crater near the centre of the asteroid, and near the upper right-hand edge (the limb). This is a combination of more reflected blue light and greater absorption of near-infrared light, suggesting a difference Figure 2. This image mosaic of asteroid 253 Mathilde is in the abundance or constructed from four images acquired by the NEAR spacecraft composition of iron-bearing on 27 June 1997. The part of the asteroid shown is about 59 km minerals in these areas. Ida’s by 47 km. Details as small as 380 m can be discerned. The moon also has a deeper near- surface exhibits many large craters, including the deeply infrared absorption and a shadowed one at the centre, which is estimated to be more than different colour in the violet than any 10 km deep.
    [Show full text]
  • Conjunction and Solstice Between History and Celestial Mechanics
    CONJUNCTION AND SOLSTICE BETWEEN HISTORY AND CELESTIAL MECHANICS News The next Jupiter and Saturn’s great conjunction of December 21, will allow us to reason on the hypothesis developed by Kepler on the Star of Bethlehem: in his opinion, the similar conjunction occurred in the year 7/6 b.c. was the cause of the appearance of the Star, it was not a star. To think about this issue, the meeting “Conjunction and solstice between History and Celestial Mechanics” has been organized at ICRANet center (International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics) with its Seat in Pescara. This e-meeting will be held online on December 21, 2020 starting from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM (Italian time), with the participation of astronomers from all over the World. Link to the meeting web page: http://www.icranet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1351 Historical basis For the ancient men all the way to the post Renaissance period, the planetary conjunctions have offered the opportunity to verify the existing planetary theories. In those days, Astronomy addressed not their internal constitution, possibly different from the one surrounding us and still unknown, but what was attracting their attention was their motion and especially the possibility to predict their position in the sky well in advance. This conceptual plan was named “the quintessence” of the nature of the celestial spheres dictating their motion. The ancient world attempted to solve this problem and the great synthesis of these efforts is contained in the Almagest of Ptolemy. Over the time, the observations become more and more accurate and so also the rethinking of their interpretation.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn
    Astronomy Club of Asheville - December 2020 Highlight Page 1 of 3 The December 21, 2020 “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn During the northern hemisphere summer of 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will become visible in our evening skies. Earth will approach closest to both these gas-giant planets in July – something astronomers call planetary opposition. By autumn, the 2 planets will appear to be on a slow collision course with each other in the constellation Sagittarius. But it’s in December that this very close alignment of Jupiter and Saturn reaches its culmination. The “great conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn will occur on December 21, 2020 – the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. At that time, the two planets will be in the constellation Capricornus, low toward the southwest horizon, and separated by a mere 0.1°. This will be the closest Jupiter/Saturn conjunction since the year 1623 CE! Jupiter will be at magnitude -2.0, and significantly dimmer Saturn at magnitude +0.6. On the evenings of December 16 & 17, 2020, the waxing crescent Long Night moon will join Jupiter and Saturn, making an amazing sight in the southwestern twilight. Above: Artist’s concept of Jupiter and Saturn on December 16, 2020 shortly after sunset, as viewed from Earth’s surface. Notice that a 7% illuminated, waxing crescent moon will also be part of this early evening view. Jupiter and Saturn will be rather low in the SW sky – only about 17° above the horizon in Asheville, NC. Chart via Jay Ryan at http://classicalastronomy.com/. - Continued on the next page - Astronomy Club of Asheville - December 2020 Highlight Page 2 of 3 The December 21, 2020 “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn A “great conjunction” is a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn.
    [Show full text]
  • Model the Movements of the Planets
    In the Curriculum Starship Gaia Model the Movements of the Planets By Bob Albrecht and Paul Davis Subject: Science, math Audience: Teachers, teacher educators Grade Level: 5–10 (10–15) Technology: Internet/Web Standards: NETS•S 3, 5. NETS•T II, III. (Read more about NETS at www. iste.org—select Standards Projects.) Copyright © 2001, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 541.302.2777 (Int'l), 32 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 28 Number 8 [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Starship Gaia Table 1. Distances and orbital periods of inner planets from Sun. Data source: National Space Sciences Data Center Planetary Fact Sheets (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planetfact.html). Object Symbol Distance Distance Period Kilometers AU Earth days Sun 0 0.000 Mercury 57,910,000 0.387 88 Venus 108,210,000 0.723 225 Earth 149,600,000 1.000 365 Mars 227,920,000 1.524 687 Figure 1. Inner planets at 2001-06-13 UTC 14:00:00. Figure 2. Solar System Live settings (www.fourmilab.to/solar). uring our measurement and bital period of each planet, the number appearance of the diagram of the or- modeling adventures, we of Earth solar days (1 solar day = 24 bits and positions of the planets. D have modeled the relative hours) for the planet to make one com- We went to Solar System Live and sizes of the planets in the solar system plete orbit around the Sun. entered settings to obtain the diagram and the distances of the planets from To see where the planets are now in Figure 1.
    [Show full text]