Babylonian Saros cycles support eclipse prediction

31 January 2003

The paper examines similarities in lunar divisions, calendars, zodiacal schemes and year lengths.

31 January 2003

The author rejects an automatic assumption that every shared feature proves one-way borrowing.

31 January 2003

Trade, conquest, translation and scholarly mobility created opportunities for ideas to circulate between West and South Asia.

31 January 2003

Similar concepts may arise independently, be borrowed selectively or be transformed through local practices.

11 July 2005

The publication shows why ancient eclipse observations cannot be matched accurately without accounting for changes in Earth's spin.

11 July 2005

Mesopotamian scholars recognized repeating relationships in lunar eclipses and passed this numerical knowledge into later traditions.

11 July 2005

Comparing historical reports with Newtonian calculations revealed that the Moon's apparent motion could not be treated as perfectly uniform.

11 July 2005

Long-term tidal interaction between Earth and Moon gradually changes day length and shifts reconstructed eclipse paths.

10 November 2005

President Thabo Mbeki formally inaugurated SALT at Sutherland.

10 November 2005

The new facility strengthened observing capacity in the southern hemisphere.

10 November 2005

South Africa led the observatory with partners from several countries.

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