Related papers: Did a Series of Solar Eclipses Inspire the Nazca L…
The most famous geoglyphs of Peru are the "Nazca Lines". Considered as one of the mysteries of the ancient world, they have been included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in a large region between the towns of Nazca and Palpa,…
This paper centers on the collection of accounts on solar eclipses from the era of the Aztecs in Mesoamerica, about 1300 to 1550 AD. We present a list of all eclipse events complying with the topological visibility from the capital…
We analyze the geometrical structure of the astonishing Nasca geoglyphs in terms of their fractal dimension with the idea of dating these manifestations of human cultural engagements in relation to one another. Our findings suggest that the…
It seems that the Nazca Lines, ancient geoglyphs of a Peruvian dry pampa, had some astronomical orientations. Here we discuss a geoglyph representing a frigatebird and its orientation towards the setting of Fomalhaut, using freely available…
The search of a rational explanation of eclipses pervades the beginnings of philosophical and scientific thought. Within this intellectual frame, the knowledge of the "saros cycle" (a cycle of 18 years, 10 or 11 days and 1/3 of a day that…
Maria Reiche devoted her life to the study of the Nazca Lines, the most famous Peruvian geoglyphs. In fact, she was an archaeoastronomer that proposed for the Lines some interesting astronomical interpretations. We can appraise her approach…
Solar eclipses play an important role in the history of astronomy because their observation allowed astrophysics to expand. The eclipse of August 30th, 1905 is particularly interesting since the line of totality passes through Spain and…
The paper proposes an ancient landscape design as an example of graphic design for an age and place where no written documents existed. It is created by a network of earthworks, which constitute the remains of an extensive ancient…
Historical records of total solar eclipses provide vital information for computing the rotation of the Earth and understanding its long-term variations by providing data from the time before the modern measurements. While eclipses recorded…
Several researchers have previously identified a severe climatic upheaval in tropical North Africa that began just over 4000 years ago and lasted for about three centuries. The upheaval is known to have occurred shortly after a volcanic…
On April 1, 2471 bC an impressive, unpredictable phenomenon occurred over the Delta of the Nile: a total solar eclipse, with totality band almost centered on the sacred city of Buto, and with the capital Memphis very close (>95%) to…
An ancient solar observatory is composed by thirteen towers lined on a hill of a coastal desert of Peru. This is the Chankillo observatory. Here we discuss it, showing some simulations of the local sun direction. An analysis of the…
This article reviews atmospheric changes associated with 44 solar eclipses, beginning with the first quantitative results available, from 1834 (earlier qualitative, accounts also exist). Eclipse meteorology attracted relatively few…
The possible discovery of astronomical effects due to precession - such as the shift in the declination of heliacal raising of bright stars or the precession of the equinoxes - is reviewed for various ancient cultures in the world. Although…
A model based on celestial geometry and atmospheric physics predicts the dimming and the color of lunar eclipses. Corresponding visual magnitudes and color indices for eclipses from year 2000 through 2050 are listed. The enlargement of the…
The obscuration of a celestial body that covers another one in the background will be called a ``hierarchical eclipse''. The most obvious case is that a star or a planet will be hidden from sight by the moon during a lunar eclipse. Four…
The Caral civilization developed on the north-central coast of Peru and had an occupation period between 2870 and 1970 years BC. The first studies carried out in the field of archaeoastronomy showed evidence of possible astronomical…
The solar luminosity in the visible changes at the 10-3 level, following an 11 years period. In X-rays, which should not be there, the amplitude varies 100000 times stronger, making their mysterious origin since the discovery in 1938 even…
The pyramids of ancient Egypt are said to have shone brilliantly in the sun. Surfaces of polished limestone would not only have reflected diffusely in all directions, but would also likely have produced specular reflections in particular…
We have studied the corona as seen at the eclipses of 1878, 1900, 1901 and others. These eclipses occurred during extended sunspot minimum conditions. We compare these data with those of the recent solar minimum corona, using data from the…