Related papers: Comets, historical records and vedic literature
The phenomenon of counterrotation is observed when two galaxy components have their angular momenta projected antiparallel onto the sky. It follows that if the two components rotate around the same axis, the counterrotation is intrinsic. On…
In these lectures I discuss the possibility that superstrings of cosmic length might exist and be observable. I first review the original idea of cosmic strings arising as gauge theory solitons, and discuss in particular their network…
Given that a strong 14C variation in AD 775 has recently been suggested to be due to the largest solar flare ever recorded in history, it is relevant to investigate whether celestial events observed around that time may have been aurorae,…
The phenomenon of 1I/'Oumuamua introduced the interstellar object (ISO) class of celestial body into the astronomical lexicon, those objects with heliocentric speeds clearly in excess of that required to parabolically escape the Solar…
In recent years, technical and theoretical work to detect moons and rings around exoplanets has been attempted. The small mass/size ratios between moons and planets means this is very challenging, having only one exoplanetary system where…
An object with a very peculiar light-curve was discovered recently using Kepler data. Authors argue that this object may be a transiting disintegrating planet with a comet like dusty tail. We calculate the light-curves of stars with such…
The nature of the icy material accreted by comets during their formation in the outer regions of the protosolar nebula is a major open question in planetary science. Some scenarios of comet formation predict that these bodies agglomerated…
Over the past century a succession of five different independent astronomical phenomena have been discovered, each appearing to be the result of a common underlying cause that also produces an unaccounted-for acceleration that is: quite…
We analyze optical images and high-resolution, long-slit spectra of three planetary nebulae which possess collimated, low-ionization features. NGC 3918 is composed of an inner, spindle-shaped shell mildly inclined with respect to the plane…
Exocomets are small bodies releasing gas and dust which orbit stars other than the Sun. Their existence was first inferred from the detection of variable absorption features in stellar spectra in the late 1980s using spectroscopy. More…
We report field studies of the astronomical beliefs of two Indian tribes: the Banjaras and the Kolams. The Banjaras are an ancient tribe connected with the gypsies of Europe while the Kolams have been foragers until recently. They share…
We report on an upward traveling, radio-detected cosmic-ray-like impulsive event with characteristics closely matching an extensive air shower. This event, observed in the third flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a…
This paper presents the principle of relativity of motion as described in Aryabhata's text Aryabhatiya. This principle is likely to have been instrumental in the faming of Aryabhata's theory that the earth rotated on its axis and,…
Interstellar comets offer direct samples of volatiles from distant protoplanetary disks. 2I/Borisov is the first notably active interstellar comet discovered in our solar system[1]. Comets are condensed samples of the gas, ice, and dust…
The early Greek and Indian cosmologies are summarized in this paper. The two traditions appear to have developed independently although after the time of Alexander they were consciously aware of each other. The focus and style of the two…
Astronomers occasionally detect an object having unexpected shape, unexplainable photometry, or unprecedented spectra that are inconsistent with our contemporary knowledge of the universe. Upon careful assessment, many of these anomalies…
Photometric and spectroscopic observations of five nearly parabolic comets with eccentricity larger than 0.99 at heliocentric distances greater than 4 AU were performed. No molecular emission was observed for any studied comet and the…
We have studied the conditions of through passage of asteroids with diameters 200, 100 and 50 m, consisting of three types of materials -- iron, stone and water ice across the Earth's atmosphere with the minimum trajectory altitude 10--15…
Examples of the power law spectra observations in the Nature are given. It is shown that the observed meteoroid mass spectrum is very similar to the observed cosmic ray energy spectrum. It is concluded that the "knees" observed in both…
The study of comets affords a unique window into the birth, infancy, and subsequent history of the solar system. There is strong evidence that comets incorporated pristine interstellar material as well as processed nebular matter, providing…