Astronomy in India: A Historical Perspective [electronic resource] /
Padmanabhan, Thanu.editor.
Indian National Science Academy,issuing body.
India has a strong and ancient tradition of astronomy, which seamlessly merges with the current activities in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the country. While the younger generation of astronomers and students are reasonably familiar with the current facilities and the astronomical research, they might not have an equally good knowledge of the rich history of Indian astronomy. This particular volume, brought out as a part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Indian National Science Academy, concentrates on selected aspects of historical development of Indian astronomy in the form of six invited chapters. Two of the chapters – by Balachandra Rao and M.S. Sriram – cover ancient astronomy and the development of calculus in the ancient Kerela text Yuktibhasa. The other four chapters by B.V. Sreekantan, Siraj Hasan, Govind Swarup and Jayant Narlikar deal with the contemporary history of Indian astronomy covering space astronomy, optical astronomy, radio astronomy and developments in relativistic astrophysics. These chapters, written by experts in the field, provide an in-depth study of the subject and make this volume quite unique.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Foreword; Preface; Editorial Board; Table of Contents; Chapter 1 Classical Astronomy in India - An Overview; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Astronomy of the Vedas; 1.2.1 Mention of Naksatras; 1.2.2 Mention of Planets; 1.3 Vedanga Jyotisa (Sastry 1985); 1.4 Siddhantas; 1.4.1 Famous Astronomers and Their Works; 1.4.2 Aryabhata I (b. 476 AD); 1.5 Earth's Shape and Rotation; 1.6 Post-Aryabhatan Astronomy; 1.7 Contents of Siddhantas; 1.7.1 Madhyamadhikara (Mean Positions); 1.7.2 Spastadhikara (True Positions); 1.7.3 Triprasnadhikara; 1.7.4 Candra and Surya Grahanadhikara
1.8 Continuity in Astronomical Tradition1.9 Observational Validity of Indian Astronomical Parameters; 1.10 Indian Astronomers and Eclipses; 1.10.1 Real Cause of Eclipses; 1.10.2 Moon's Latitude; 1.10.3 Diameters of Sun, Moon and Earth's Shadow; 1.10.4 Grasa (or Channam) - Obscured Portion; 1.10.5 Half-durations of Eclipse and Totality; 1.10.6 Successive Approximation for Circumstances; 1.11 Conjunction of Stars and Planets; 1.11.1 Types of Conjunctions; 1.11.2 Conjunction - Elapsed or to Occur; 1.11.3 Instant of Conjunction of Two Bodies; 1.11.4 Bheda and Abheda Conjunctions
1.12 Effects of Parallax - Lambana and Nati1.12.1 Parallax of the Moon; 1.12.2 Bhaskara II's Description of Parallax; 1.13 Transits of Venus and Mercury in Indian Astronomy; 1.13.1 Improved Siddhantic Procedure of Transit Computations; 1.13.2 Summary of the Circumstances of Venus Transit of June 8, 2004; 1.14 Rohini Sakata Bheda; 1.14.1 Stakeholders of RSB; 1.14.2 Rationale for Moon's RSB; 1.14.3 Conjunction of Guru with Tisya Naksatra; 1.15 Indian Astronomical Tables; 1.16 Conclusion; References; Chapter 2 Astronomy in Ganịta-Yuktibhāsạ̄ of Jyesṭḥadeva (c. 1530); 2.1 Introduction
2.2 Antecedents of Yuktibhāsạ̄: I. Āryabhatị̄ya and its Aftermath2.3 Antecedents of Yuktibhāsạ̄: II. Tantrasaṅgraha of Nīlakanṭḥa; 2.3.1 Kerala School of Astronomy; Tantrasaṅgraha; 2.4 Nature of Yuktibhāsạ̄, and its Contents; 2.5 Planetary Model in Yuktibhāsạ̄; 2.5.1 Correction due to eccentricity of the orbit in Indian planetary models Manda-samskāra; 2.5.2 Conversion to the geocentric frame Śīghra-samṣkāra; Exterior planets; 2.5.3 Latitude of planets; 2.5.4 Summary of the Planetary Model in Yuktibhāsạ̄; 2.6 Inclination of moon's Orbit with Equator
2.7 Distance between the Centres of the Solar and Lunar Discs2.8 Concluding Remarks; References; Appendix; Geocentric Position of a Planet in Kepler's Model; Elliptic Orbits and Equation of Centre; Geocentric Longitude of an Exterior Planet; Geocentric Longitude of an Interior Planet; Heliocentric and Geocentric Latitudes of a Planet; Chapter 3 General Relativity and Astrophysics; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 The Calcutta School; 3.3 The Banaras School; 3.4 The Vaidya Solution; 3.5 The Raychaudhuri Equation; 3.6 Naked Singularities; 3.7 Black Hole Astrophysics; 3.8 White Holes
3.9 Gravitational Lenses
Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters.
India has a strong and ancient tradition of astronomy, which seamlessly merges with the current activities in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the country. While the younger generation of astronomers and students are reasonably familiar with the current facilities and the astronomical research, they might not have an equally good knowledge of the rich history of Indian astronomy. This particular volume, brought out as a part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Indian National Science Academy, concentrates on selected aspects of historical development of Indian astronomy in the form of six invited chapters. Two of the chapters – by Balachandra Rao and M.S. Sriram – cover ancient astronomy and the development of calculus in the ancient Kerela text Yuktibhasa. The other four chapters by B.V. Sreekantan, Siraj Hasan, Govind Swarup and Jayant Narlikar deal with the contemporary history of Indian astronomy covering space astronomy, optical astronomy, radio astronomy and developments in relativistic astrophysics. These chapters, written by experts in the field, provide an in-depth study of the subject and make this volume quite unique.
Astronomy.
Astrophysics.
Physics.
History.
Culture—Study and teaching.
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology.
History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics.
History of Science.
Popular Science in Astronomy.
Regional and Cultural Studies.