Early cultures identified celestial objects with gods and spirits. They related these objects and their movements to predict things like rain, drought, seasons, and tides. The movements of Sun and Moon are used in calendars to measure the day, month and year. It is important to agricultural societies as they need to know the time to plant and harvest. Ancient societies also believed that the position of some celestial bodies have an impact on the human beings. The astronomy and the astrology of
The earliest references to astronomy are found in the Vedas which are dated around 3000 B.C. to 1000 B.C. By 500 AD, ancient Indian astronomy has emerged as an important part of Indian studies and its affect is also seen in several treatises of that period. In some instances, astronomical principles were borrowed to explain matters, pertaining to astrology, like casting of a horoscope. Apart from this linkage of astronomy with astrology in ancient
There are astronomical references of chronological significance in the Vedas. Some Vedic notices mark the beginning of the year and that of the vernal equinox in Orion.
Yajnavalkya (estimated 1800 BC) advanced a 95-year cycle to synchronize the motions of the sun and the moon. The Vedanga Jyotisha, a text on Vedic astrology that has been dated to 1350 BC, was written by Lagadha which describes rules for tracking the motions of the Sun and the Moon, and also develops the use of geometry and trigonometry for astronomical uses.
The sun (Surya) was one of the chief deities in the Vedas. He was recognized as the source of light (Dinkara), source of warmth (Bhaskara). In the Vedas sun is also referred to as the source of all life, the center of creation and the center of the spheres.
In Indian languages, the science of astronomy is called Khagola-shastra. The word Khagola perhaps is derived from the famous astronomical observatory at the
The lack of a telescope hindered further advancement of ancient Indian astronomy. Though it should be admitted that with their unaided observations with crude instruments, the astronomers in ancient
Another astronomer Varahamihira (476 A.D. – 587 A.D.) recognized that there should be a force which might be keeping bodies stuck to the Earth, and also keeping heavenly bodies in their determined places. Also recognized that this force is an attractive force. The Sanskrit term for gravity is Gurutvakarshan which is an amalgam of Guru-tva-akarshan. Akarshan means to be attracted, thus the fact that the character of this force was of attraction was also recognized. This apart, it seems that the function of attracting heavenly bodies was attributed to the sun.
Brahmagupta (598 A.D -668 A.D.) was the head of the astronomical observatory at
Bhaskara (1114 A.D -1185 A.D.) was the head of the astronomical observatory at
Other important astronomers from
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