Persian astronomy
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Persian astronomy or Iranian astronomy refers to the astronomy in ancient Persian history.[1]
Pre-Islamic history
Ancient Persians celebrated the vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice through a variety of different festivals and traditions.[2]
Vernal equinox
Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox and the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator has been calculated for years. Nowruz was an important day during the Achaemenid period and continued in importance through the Sasanian dynasty.[3][4]
Summer solstice
Tirgan is an ancient Iranian festival celebrating the summer solstice.[5]
Autumnal equinox
Mehregan is an ancient Zoroastrian and Persian festival celebrating the autumnal equinox since at least the 4th century BC.[6]
Winter solstice
Yaldā Night is an ancient Iranian festival celebrating the winter solstice of the Northern Hemisphere.[2][7][8]
Star systems
Some old
Planets
Tablet inscriptions set forth observations of Jupiter from the 43rd year of the reign of Artaxerxes II to the thirteenth year of Alexander the Great.[9] The positions of the planets throughout the year were determined using astrological charts.[9]
After Muslim conquests
After the
The first major Muslim work of astronomy was Zij al-Sindhind by Persian mathematician
References
- ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ a b Yak, Doctor (December 21, 2019). "Yalda — The Ancient Iranian Festival celebrating Light's victory over Dark". Medium.
- ISBN 978-1-84127-197-2.
- ^ Maxouris, Christina; Moshtaghian, Artemis (March 20, 2019). "More than 300 million people will celebrate Nowruz (and you should, too)". CNN Digital.
- ^ "The Legend of Tir and the First Month of Summer in Persia". www.payvand.com.
- ISBN 978-1118786277.
- ^ "ČELLA – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org.
- ISBN 0-7787-9317-6.
- ^ a b c "Culture of Iran: Astrology & Astronomy in Iran and Ancient Mesopotamia".
- Met Museum. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
- ^ Dallal (1999), pg. 163