Related papers: A geometrical link between the circle and sexagesi…
I describe how to obtain a rather good experimental determination of the eccentricity of the Earth orbit, as well as the obliquity of the Earth rotation axis, by measuring, over the course of a year, the elevation of the Sun as a function…
How do galaxies form and evolve? This is one of the most puzzling questions in astronomy. Galaxy assembly takes place throughout the entire history of the Universe, but our understanding of it is hampered by the unfortunate fact that we can…
Given a finite abelian group $G$, consider the complete graph on the set of all elements of $G$. Find a Hamiltonian cycle in this graph and for each pair of consecutive vertices along the cycle compute their sum. What are the smallest and…
Luminet et al. (2003) suggested that WMAP data are better matched by a Poincar\'e dodecahedral FLRW model of global geometry, rather than by an infinite flat model. The analysis by Cornish et al. (2003) for angular radii 25-90 degrees…
The problem of the universal form of the size spectrum is analyzed. The half-widths of two wings of spectrum is introduced and it is shown that their ratio is very close to the golden fraction. In appendix it is shown that behind the golden…
We give six arguments that the Planck scale should be viewed as a fundamental minimum or boundary for the classical concept of spacetime, beyond which quantum effects cannot be neglected and the basic nature of spacetime must be…
Could the dips of "Boyajian's Star" (KIC 8462852) have been caused by matter in our Solar System? The interval between periods of deep dips is nearly twice the orbital period of the Kepler satellite. I consider heliocentric obscuring rings…
The so-called solar cycle is generally characterized by the quasi-periodic oscillatory evolution of the photospheric spots number. This quasi-periodic pattern has always been an intriguing question. Several physical models were proposed to…
The presence of multiple luminous galaxies in clusters can be explained by the finite time over which a galaxy sinks to the center of the cluster and merges with the the central galaxy. The simplest measurable statistic to quantify the…
A sunset over the sea surface offers the possibility to chronometrate a solar transit across the horizon. The vertical solar diameter is proportional to the duration of the sunset, the cosine of the azimuth and the cosine of the latitude of…
As a consequence of gravitomagnetism, which is a fundamental weak-field prediction of general relativity and ubiquitous in gravitational phenomena, clocks show a difference in their proper periods when moving along identical orbits in…
The quantum baker's map is the quantization of a simple classically chaotic system, and has many generic features that have been studied over the last few years. While there exists a semiclassical theory of this map, a more rigorous study…
The history of astrometry, the branch of astronomy dealing with the positions of celestial objects, is a lengthy and complex chronicle, having its origins in the earliest records of astronomical observations more than two thousand years…
A long-term numerical integration of the classical Newtonian approximation to the planetary orbital motions of the full Solar System (sun + 8 planets), spanning 20 Gyr, was performed. The results showed no severe instability arising over…
The horologia are ancient ephemerides, tables of durations of the days and nights during all months of the year. The algorithms used to compute the horologia are here presented and the results are compared with the tables computed by…
Have our fundamental theories got time right? Does size really matter? Or is physics all in the eyes of the beholder? In this essay, we question the origin of time and scale by reevaluating the nature of measurement. We then argue for a…
A simple and clear method is proposed to calculate the averaged motion of the apsis line in the Moon orbit. The obtained result is $3^{\circ}1'12''$ for the starry period of the Moon revolution around the Earth or $40^{\circ}22'48''$ per…
We investigate whether or not the decadal and multi-decadal climate oscillations have an astronomical origin. Several global surface temperature records since 1850 and records deduced from the orbits of the planets present very similar…
Starting with the classical circle geometry of Sophus Lie, we give a survey about some of the developments in the area of chain geometries during the last three decades.
The equation of time is fundamental for calculating the rising and setting times of the Sun. The concepts of sidereal and solar day and locak noon, we show how the length of the day depends on solar declination and Earth's orbit position,…