Lunar eclipse from 19./20. March 721 BC Chr.

The lunar eclipse noted in Babylonian sources on 19./20. March 721 BC Chr. Belongs to the genus of ACT texts . This record gained particular importance on the one hand through reference to the Babylonian king Marduk-apla-iddina II and on the other hand through the second mention in the Almagest .

Almagest mention

The astronomical event mentioned was a total lunar eclipse which , based on the information, had to be dated precisely. By checking with other historical eclipses, it was found that the historical dates deviate from the back-calculated values. The corresponding time difference is referred to as " Δ T ".

Taking into account the Δ T , the lunar eclipse in Babylonia began around 7:20 p.m. on March 19  ,  721 BC. And reached its maximum at around 10:15 pm. In the Almagest the corresponding beginning of the lunar eclipse was described:

"Mardokempadus (Marduk-apla-iddina II.) 1st year: ( Egyptian calendar ): 29. – 30. Thoth , the eclipse began ... "

- Almagest IV: 6

See also

• Ivory prism from Nineveh

literature

• Francis Richard Stephenson : Historical Eclipses and Earth's rotation . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1997, ISBN 0-521-46194-4

Web links

• NASA: lunar eclipse from 19./20. March 721 BC Chr.

Remarks

1. ^ Date in the proleptic Julian calendar .
2. ↑ 5 hours and 42 minutes.
3. ↑ In the Babylonian calendar: Twelfth month (Addaru) .
4. ↑ The sunset was around 6:10 p.m. local time.
5. ^ Francis Richard Stephenson: Historical Eclipses and Earth's rotation . P. 99.
6. ↑ The 29th-30th Thoth corresponds to 29-30. Achet I ; in the Julian calendar to be equated with 19. – 20. March 721 BC (In the Gregorian calendar March 12-13).