Lunar eclipse from 21./22. April 686 BC Chr.

The lunar eclipse recorded in Babylonian sources from 21./22. April 686 BC Chr. Belongs to the genus of ACT texts . This record acquired special significance through reference to the Assyrian king Sennacherib . Today the cuneiform tablet BM 35789 is in the British Museum in London .

Babylonian mention

The astronomical event mentioned was a partial lunar eclipse , which had to be dated precisely based on the information in the cuneiform text. The lunar eclipse fell in a leap year in the Babylonian calendar and began in Babylonia around 1:25 a.m. on April 22  ,  686 BC. The scribe of the Babylonian cuneiform text noted the exact time of the lunar eclipse:

“[Sin-aḫḫe-eriba 3rd year (as King of Babylonia)]: Second month (?). [..5] Months before [Ululu II], [...] (start) 100 deg (about 400 minutes) after sunset . "

- BM 35789

See also

• Lunar eclipse from 16./17. July 523 BC Chr.
• Lunar eclipse from 28/29. September 424 BC Chr.
• Lunar eclipse of April 5, 397 BC Chr.
• Lunar eclipse of August 30th 367 BC Chr.
• 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 21./22. April 686 BC Chr.

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} Date in the proleptic Julian calendar .
2. ↑ The leap month Ululu II began September 2  ,  686 BC. Chr.
3. ↑ From the text it could be deduced that a leap month Ululu II was inserted this year.
4. ↑ The sunset was around 6:45 p.m. local time.
5. ^ Francis Richard Stephenson: Historical Eclipses and Earth's rotation . P. 162.