Is there a database of star names related to Indian culture
doxinboy
Clear sky to you all. I am a teacher of politics and I teach to rural
students who are not exposed to English language. Since I always try
to introduce the wonderful universe to my students, it would be
greatly beneficial for me to know the related Indian names of
significant night sky objects so I can excite them to explore more.
Kindly guide me to relevant resources, a book, website or if this is
already been discussed.
Regards
doxinboy
Amar Sharma
Anand Sivaram
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakshatra
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Twitter: @anand_sivaram
Rear Admiral Vasanth BR
To: Balacha...@Gmail.com
Dt: Mon, 10 Oct 11 / 122:12
Sb: 27 Nakshatras
Dear Dr Balachandra Rao,
Thank you for your email 1110101920 and for the insight information given by you to me.
With very best wishes
Vasanth
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Fr: Balacha...@Gmail.com
To: Vas...@LearningAccord.com; B-...@GoogleGroups.com
Cc: Balacha...@Gmail.com
Dt: Mon, 10 Oct 11 / 19:20
Sb: Is there a database of star names related to Indian culture
Dear Rear Admiral Vasanth,
Thank you so much for the interest you have taken in getting prepared a table of the nakshatras with their Western/technical equivalents and other useful details like mag, dist, RA, Decl etc. Since the (tropical) coordinates depend on the precession of the equinoxes, it is better to specify the reference year (like 2000 CE, 2011 CE). For example, in my book "Indian Astronomy - An Introduction" I have provided a similar table (pages 3a 5-37).
That table (Table 4.3) includes "Nirayana" (Sidereal) longitude and cel latitude ("shara" or "vikshepa" in Sanskrit. The interesting thing is while the tropical ("Saayana") coords go on changing due to precession of equinoxes ("Ayanaamsha"), the sidereal coords remain constant (of course ignoring the negligible proper motion of stars!).
In your yet to be completed table, you may please include the following special stars (not among 27 stars) which are supposedly visible to the naked eye:
Reference date: 1995.0 = 1995, Jan. 0.822 UT
|
|
Nakshatra |
|
Mag |
Sid Long |
Latitude |
Right Asc |
Declination |
|
1 |
Brahmahridaya |
Capella |
0.21 |
58º 00' 03" |
+22º 51' 51" |
5h 16m 19.1s |
+45º 59' 36" |
|
2 |
Agni |
Beta Tauri |
1.78 |
58º 43' 05" |
+ 5º 23' 05" |
5h 25m 58.5s |
+28º 36' 13" |
|
3 |
Dhruva |
Polaris |
2.10 |
64º 42' 39" |
+66º 06' 03" |
2h 26m 21.9s |
+89º 14' 31" |
|
4 |
Lubdhaka |
Sirius |
-1.58 |
80º 13' 32” |
-39º 36' 15" |
6h 44m 55.6s |
-15º 42' 32" |
|
5 |
Agastya |
Canopus |
-0.86 |
81º 06' 17" |
-75º 49' 28" |
6h 23m 50.6s |
-52º 41' 34" |
|
6 |
Kratu |
Dubhe |
1.95 |
111º 20' 25" |
+49º 40' 47" |
11h 03m 25.3s |
+61º 46' 41" |
|
7 |
Abhijit |
Vega |
0.14 |
261º 27' 31" |
+61º 43' 59" |
18h 36m 46.1s |
+38º 46' 44" |
A comment on the "sidereal ("nirayana") longitudes used in Indian classical astronomy: While the rate of precession of the equinoxes (or the solstices) is precisely known scientifically, the year and date when the "zero" point (“Mshaadi”) of our Indian fixed zodiac coincided with the first point of Aries ("zero" point of the moving zodiac) is an unsolved problem ! The problem being "domestic" (peculiar to Indians!), modern astronomy cannot solve it!
While Govt of India, in its publication of the "Rashtriya Panchanga" (in 13 languages), has adopted March 22,285 CE as the "zero ayanaamsha" date, other learned scholars do not accept this date! They suggest a year around 522 CE (Aryabhata's time) as the "zero year". Therefore, when you mention your and your wife's nakshatras to the priest, actually those may not be your birth-nakshatras at all. In other words, while the priest pockets your 'dakshina" the fruit ("punya"), if at all, may go to someone else born truly in the named nakshatras!
With best regards,
Balachandra Rao
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
To: Balacha...@Gmail.com
Dt: Mon, 10 Oct 11 / 15:50
Sb: 27 Nakshatras
Dear Dr Balachandra Rao,
Sometime back, when this subject cropped up in BAS, Keerthi had given a list of the 27 Nakshatras and their English names. (Personally, I knew 2 of them; my wife’s and mine, as the priests ask them, as gate passes, when they perform archanas.) I had a benched programmer at that time and I asked her to make google searches and fill up additional columns, as titled by me. However, the work was stalled in a couple of days, as I could assign my company’s professional work to her.
The partly completed Table is given below. My personal request to you is to advice me on any additional columns which need to be included, so that when I retake the work, a more comprehensive Reference Table can be produced, with additional information.
There will be nothing original in the Table; it will be only a Structured Ready Reference Table, whose data is compiled from internet sources.
It was thousand to one coincidence: the programmer’s name is Revathi and much as she searched, she could not get a “Popular Name” for Revathi and (in lighter vein) is rather upset that she has to do with a fishy Other Name of ζ Piscium ! During our get together evening tea time (when we all talk freely with each other, without any inhibitions, from CMD to driver), she told me that she would trade 25% of her Java knowledge to any old sage, if he could give her a nice Other Name resembling and sounding like “Nunki or Shaula or even Bellatrix”.
With best wishes
Vasanth
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
|
No |
Nakshatra |
Popular Name |
Astro Name |
Ap-Mg |
Ab-Mg |
Mass |
Dia |
Type |
Tmp-K |
Dist |
RA |
Dec |
Remarks |
|
01 |
Aswini |
Sheraton |
β Arietis |
+2.64 |
+2.77 |
2.00 |
2.1 |
A5V |
8200 |
60 |
01h 54m 38.400s |
+20° 48′ 29.000″ |
Spectroscopic Binary |
|
02 |
Bharani |
35 Arietis |
35 Arietis |
+4.65 |
|
|
|
B3V |
|
370 |
02h 43m 27.113s |
+27° 42' 25.728" |
|
|
03 |
Kritika |
Alcyone |
η Tauri |
+2.87 |
-2.39 |
6.00 |
10.0 |
B7IIIe |
13000 |
370 |
03h 47m 29.077s |
+24° 06′ 18.494″ |
Young, 50 million years. 4 Orbiting Stars A+B,C,D |
|
04 |
Rohini |
Aldebaran |
α Tauri |
+0.87 |
-0.63 |
1.70 |
44.2 |
K5III |
|
65.1 |
04h 35m 55.239s |
+16° 30′ 33.490″ |
Irregular variable 0.2 mag Vernal equinox |
|
05 |
Mrigasira |
Meissa |
λ Orionis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
06 |
Aridra |
Betelgeuse |
α Orionis |
|
|
|
1180 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
07 |
Punarvasu |
Pollux |
β Geminorium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08 |
Pushya |
Asellus |
δ Cancri |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
09 |
Aslesha |
Alphard |
α Hydrae |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
Magha |
Regulus |
α Leonis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summer solstice |
|
11 |
Poorvaphalguni |
Zosma |
δ Leonis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
Uttaraphalguni |
Denebola |
β Leonis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13 |
Hasta |
Algorab |
δ Corvi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
Chitra |
Spica |
α Virginis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15 |
Swati |
Arcturus |
α Bootis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 |
Visakha |
Zubenelgenubi |
α Librae |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 |
Anuradha |
Dschubba |
δ Scorpii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
Jyehsta |
Antares |
α Scorpii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Autumnal equinox |
|
19 |
Moola |
Shaula |
λ Scorpii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 |
Poorvashadha |
Kaus Media |
δ Sagittari |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21 |
Uttarashadha |
Nunki |
σ Sagittari |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22 |
Sravana |
Altair |
α Aquilae |
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
23 |
Dhanshita |
Rotanev |
β Delphini |
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
24 |
Satabisha |
Hydor |
λ Aquarii |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 |
Poorvabhadrapada |
Markab |
α Pegasi |
|
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|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
26 |
Uttarabhadrapada |
Algenib |
γ Pegasi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27 |
Revati |
?????? |
ζ Piscium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fomalhaut Winter solstice |
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Fr: asp...@gmail.com
Dt: Mon, 10 Oct 11 / 14:30
Sb: Re: [-BAS-] Is there a database of star names related to Indian culture
The wikipedia article on 27 Nakshatras is very helpful also.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakshatra
On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 09:53, Amar Sharma <amar_u...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hello doxinboy,
In a thread called "Sky Maps" Keerthi Kiran had shared some Indian star names.
This is the link he had shared:
http://www.findyourfate.com/indianastro/nakshatras.htm
You can as well google to find the entire list of what you seek. Just one example, however without English names.
http://www.mypanchang.com/nakshatras.html
Our senior scholar on the matter, Dr Balachandra Rao could shed more light on the matter. Thanks, Amar.
pradeep
Pradeep
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