Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Hello from Hastings! And Mars in 52BCE

Girtab

By Girtab
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

Girtab

Girtab

Posted
Posted

Hello All,

I'm more of an archeoastronomy buff than someone with a telescope, but I do love learning more about what's happening up there now, too.

And I have a first question. My software (Starry Night) tells me Mars drifted back and forth in Scorpio andLibra for 8.5 months in 52 BCE. Is that a software glitch? I wouldn't have thought that was possible. If anyone feels like checking that out for me, I'd be grateful. Relates to an article I'm writing.

Thanks for being there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 28
  • Created
  • Last Reply
michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

Posted
Posted

Welcome to SGL! What you were seeing is the apparent motion of Mars in the sky through opposition (when Mars is opposite the sun as seen from Earth. As Earth passes by on the inside track, so to speak, Mars appears to be going backwards (retrograde motion). It was this retrograde motion which caused the likes of Ptolemy to look at epicycles to explain this baffling phenomenon. Other outer planets also show this retrograde motion, but Mars has the most pronounced loop during opposition

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scott

Scott

Posted
Posted

Hi Girtab and welcome to SGL, "Archeoastronomy" digging about in old Astronomical History, now that must be a first on the forum, whatever gives you pleasure, enjoy :)

thats what I do John. Why just the other night I went back 2.5 million years to m31 :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Girtab

Girtab

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hello All,

You'll be thinking me very rude for taking this long to reply to all of your kind remarks and welcomes. I managed to knock an entire mug of coffee onto my laptop a couple of days ago, just as I was about to copy and paste into this dialog box a careful response to some of your comments. I'm working on my spare machine now... sigh. I'll try to reconstruct.

I do know about retrograde motion. (LOVED the beautiful little Ptolemaic model.) The thing is, instead of just doing a loop (like it did in the early part of this year), in 52 BCE, what with hanging out for days at either end of its loop  before moving forward, Mars seems to have (acc. to my Starry Night software) spent 8.5 months in the two signs of Scorpio and what used to be called The Claws (of the scorpion): Libra, between about 3 December and 16 August. Now, this would have been portentous of terrible things in those days, since Mars was both  the "ruler" of Scorpio/The Claws and the god of war. And in fact, I think I may have found reference to this event. But I'd like to know whether it really happened -- or at least whether more software packages than mine says it happened. This is the kind of thing archeoastronomers get very excited about. =:-}

Or I'm missing something! So, if anyone's interested, I'm hoping you might want to check what your software says Mars did in Dec 53 BCE - Aug 52 BCE. For the purposes of the then-active calendar, Libra was allotted the 30 degrees just after the autumn equinox, and Scorpio the next 30 degrees.

Cheers,

Joanna

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.