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Records of Supernovae from India


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1 Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, High Grounds, Bengaluru 560 001, India
 

Extensive searches for possible records of supernovae have been carried out by earlier researchers in astronomical texts from India. A study of the inscriptions has shown that they have documented many celestial events like eclipses, solstices and conjunctions. This study has identified possible metaphorical records of the historic supernova sightings in inscriptions. We have identified two cases of metaphors for the description of supernovae of 1054 CE and 1604 CE. A reference in an astrolabe has been found, where a name has been coined for the new star. It has been identified with another fainter star in a recent study. A 16th century Sanskrit text on figures of speech aptly describes the supernova of 1572 CE.
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  • Narlikar, J. V. and Bhate, S., Curr. Sci., 2001, 81(6), 701–705.

  • Joglekar, H., Sule, A. and Vahia, M. N., In Search of Indian Records of Supernovae, J. Hist. Sci., 2007, 42.1, 83–93.

  • Shylaja, B. S. and Ganesha, G. K., History of the Sky – On Stones’, Infosys Foundation, Bengaluru, 2016.

  • Tanikawa, K., Soma, M., Shylaja, B. S. and Vahia, M., In Proceedings of the 9th Conference on Oriental Astronomy, ‘Growth and Development of Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and the AsiaPacific Region’ (eds Orchiston, W., Sule, A. and Vahia, M. N.), TIFR, Mumbai, 2018, pp. 81–87.

  • Beer, A., Vistas Astron., 1967, 9, 202.

  • Shylaja, B. S. and Ganesha, G. K., Curr. Sci., 2014, 107(10), 1751.

  • Majumdar, R. C., Sanskrit Inscriptions of Kāmbuja, Asiatic Society Monograph Series, Calcutta, 1953, vol. 8, pp. 381– 382.

  • Shylaja, B. S., In Proceedings of the Focus Meeting 5, Understanding historical observations to study transient phenomena, Vienna, Austin, 20–22 August 2018.

  • Epigraphia Indica Vol. 7, 1902–03 reprinted in 1981, Number 14F, p. 113.

  • Ramachandra Aiyer, T. K., The Kuvalayānanda of Appayya Dikshita with Commentary in Sanskrit and English, Part I, R. S. Vadhyar and Sons, Palghat, 1988.

  • https://srsarma.in/catalogue.php

  • Venketeswara Pai, R. and Shylaja, B. S., Curr. Sci., 2016, 111(9), 1551.

  • Shylaja, B. S. and Venketeswara Pai, R., Curr. Sci., 2018, 115(3), 570.

  • Ruiz-Lapuente, P. et al., Astrophys. J., 2017, 842(2), 124.

  • Kuvalayānanda is also available from https://ia800201.us.archive.org/8/items/KuvalayanandaAppayyaDikshitAlankaraWithTikapothi/KuvalayanandaAppayyaDikshitAlankaraWithTikapothi.pdf


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  • Records of Supernovae from India

Abstract Views: 261  |  PDF Views: 136

Authors

B. S. Shylaja
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, High Grounds, Bengaluru 560 001, India

Abstract


Extensive searches for possible records of supernovae have been carried out by earlier researchers in astronomical texts from India. A study of the inscriptions has shown that they have documented many celestial events like eclipses, solstices and conjunctions. This study has identified possible metaphorical records of the historic supernova sightings in inscriptions. We have identified two cases of metaphors for the description of supernovae of 1054 CE and 1604 CE. A reference in an astrolabe has been found, where a name has been coined for the new star. It has been identified with another fainter star in a recent study. A 16th century Sanskrit text on figures of speech aptly describes the supernova of 1572 CE.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv116%2Fi8%2F1430-1433