Previous in Forum: Cool Links for Space Junkies   Next in Forum: NASA Needs Crater Counters
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
13 comments
Rate Comments: Nested
electronick
Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ether
Posts: 371
Good Answers: 1

Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/27/2010 10:39 AM

Good day people!

I am at the time making a translation of a poetic epic, and need to know or trace the cosmic references( stars and planets and other celestial body's) on the text to "score" the possible dates implicit by the author...

Can anyone give me some suggestion?

__________________
 “For no man can forbid the spark nor tell whence it may come.” ? Francis Bacon
Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Mr. Truman Brain
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member Engineering Fields - Mechanical Engineering - New Member Hobbies - Target Shooting - New Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - New Member Hobbies - Fishing - New Member

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: South-east corner of Spain 50 48 49.24N 2 28 27.70W
Posts: 1508
Good Answers: 31
#1

Re: tracing the ancient Skye's!

05/27/2010 11:10 AM

I had a program that you could do just that, but for the life of me I can't remember it's name! Check out some of the freeware programs on this link! I'm sure one will have the ability to do this! I will have a sift through just in case something jogs my memory!

This lot looks promising!!

__________________
 “It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney
Reply
gsuhas
Guru
Safety - ESD - New Member Popular Science - Cosmology - Amateur Astronomer Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Writer India - Member - Regular CR4 participant Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 18 29 N 73 57E
Posts: 1390
Good Answers: 31
#2

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/28/2010 12:11 AM

Good.

In India, we have done something similar to decide the periods of some epics, based on the star positions described in the epics. I hope, you are trying something similar.

There are good softwares in the market like Redshift, Starmaps etc. But based of on star positions descibed in epic, finding out the period is to tiring. To find out the star positions for the known date is straight forward.
Reply
electronick
Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ether
Posts: 371
Good Answers: 1
#6
In reply to #2

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/31/2010 6:55 AM

That is right!

I am doing a translation of one of the major epics...

By the way, if you had already done some studies in this, what were the results?

__________________
 “For no man can forbid the spark nor tell whence it may come.” ? Francis Bacon
Reply
Laughing Jaguar
Guru

Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 927
Good Answers: 56
#3

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/28/2010 9:11 AM

Virtually every Planetarium software I have used for astronomy has a time and date entry function.

The most appreciated of these is called simply "The Sky" and is marketed by Software Bisque. It will not only display the most realistic sky but will display mythological characters as well.

L.J.

__________________
 "Both the revolutionary and the creative individual are perpetual juveniles. The revolutionary does not grow up because he cannot grow, while the creative individual cannot grow up because he keeps growing." Eric Hoffer
Reply
Usbport
Guru
Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Engineering Physics - Member Engineering Fields - Systems Engineering - Member

Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Trantor
Posts: 5363
Good Answers: 647
#4

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/29/2010 11:22 AM

I've used Starry Night Pro for a number of years, and it is considered to be very accurate. You can buy it through the astronomy website 'Orion', linked below. There are a number of versions available, depending on your level of need and interest.

http://www.telescope.com/control/astronomy-software-and-dvds

You might also need a book that talks about how the ancients viewed the skies. I found the following book available via Amazon.com. (Have not read it, but I see it has gotten good reviews.)

http://www.amazon.com/History-Practice-Ancient-Astronomy/dp/0195095391/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275146254&sr=1-5

__________________
 Whiskey, women -- and astrophysics. Because sometimes a problem can't be solved with just whiskey and women.
Reply
gsuhas
Guru
Safety - ESD - New Member Popular Science - Cosmology - Amateur Astronomer Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Writer India - Member - Regular CR4 participant Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 18 29 N 73 57E
Posts: 1390
Good Answers: 31
#5
In reply to #4

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

05/31/2010 1:52 AM

Usb

Both links you gave are opening to same Stary night purchase.

I could not see the book you mentioned.
Reply
Randall
Guru

Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK
Posts: 5826
Good Answers: 322
#7
In reply to #5

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

06/01/2010 3:35 AM

http://www.amazon.com/History-Practice-Ancient-Astronomy/dp/0195095391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275377518&sr=8-1

__________________
 If you spend all your time looking for people and things to complain about: trust me, you will find plenty to complain about.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
gsuhas
Guru
Safety - ESD - New Member Popular Science - Cosmology - Amateur Astronomer Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Writer India - Member - Regular CR4 participant Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 18 29 N 73 57E
Posts: 1390
Good Answers: 31
#8
In reply to #7

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

06/01/2010 3:58 AM

Thanks Randall

I will purchase this book
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Usbport
Guru
Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Engineering Physics - Member Engineering Fields - Systems Engineering - Member

Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Trantor
Posts: 5363
Good Answers: 647
#9
In reply to #5

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

06/02/2010 9:03 PM

I see that Randall re-posted the link. Hope that book helps.

(By the way, you could have copied and pasted the URL into the address line of your browser. But, all's well that ends well.)

-usbport

__________________
 Whiskey, women -- and astrophysics. Because sometimes a problem can't be solved with just whiskey and women.
Reply
gsuhas
Guru
Safety - ESD - New Member Popular Science - Cosmology - Amateur Astronomer Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Writer India - Member - Regular CR4 participant Engineering Fields - Optical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 18 29 N 73 57E
Posts: 1390
Good Answers: 31
#10
In reply to #9

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

06/02/2010 11:25 PM

Thanks

I did not thought that the URL might have linked to wrong location. Thus did not try your way. Yes, it works.

I unnecessarily troubled Randdall.
Reply
Randall
Guru

Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK
Posts: 5826
Good Answers: 322
#11
In reply to #10

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

06/03/2010 4:16 AM

No trouble at all. Perhaps you could re-post with a very brief review if you do buy (and read*) the book.

* This is a terrible admission, but, I've got several books that I bought but never got round to reading.

__________________
 If you spend all your time looking for people and things to complain about: trust me, you will find plenty to complain about.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
electronick
Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ether
Posts: 371
Good Answers: 1
#12

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

07/15/2010 5:58 AM

I used a software that you have recommended (Cartes du ciel) I guess, and made a simulation regarding some dates on the epic!

Happy to see that they match almost with the description given on the text to the possibilities.

Those Hindus were looking to the Skye thousands (and thousands?) years ago, no doubt that

Tanks for the hint!

__________________
 “For no man can forbid the spark nor tell whence it may come.” ? Francis Bacon
Reply
Anonymous Poster
#13

Re: Tracing the Ancient Skies

12/03/2010 9:19 PM

MSNBC Space photos collection on-line.A picture is worth a thousand words there.
Reply
Reply to Forum Thread
Have a Different Question?
13 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

Anonymous Poster (1); electronick (2); gsuhas (4); Laughing Jaguar (1); Mr. Truman Brain (1); Randall (2); Usbport (2)

Previous in Forum: Cool Links for Space Junkies   Next in Forum: NASA Needs Crater Counters

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Forum
Aerospace:
Go

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (90 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement