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<p>Mean motions form the very core of any astronomical system. In this article, a computational study was undertaken to examine the mean motions given in the <i>Sūrya Siddhānta</i>, an ancient Indian astronomy text. The primary finding was that the mean motions of the planets specified in the text are their heliocentric mean motions, and the magnitudes specified therein are of varying accuracy when compared with modern values. The orbital periods for mean motions given in the text are exact for the Moon and the innermost planets, Mercury and Venus. Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are correct within a fraction of a day, while Saturn has a considerable error. This work also discovered that the Indian values get progressively more accurate as one travels backward in time, indicating that this mean-motion data is possibly several millennia old.</p>

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On mean motions in Indian astronomy

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月21日

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  • Anil Narayanan

摘要

Mean motions form the very core of any astronomical system. In this article, a computational study was undertaken to examine the mean motions given in the Sūrya Siddhānta, an ancient Indian astronomy text. The primary finding was that the mean motions of the planets specified in the text are their heliocentric mean motions, and the magnitudes specified therein are of varying accuracy when compared with modern values. The orbital periods for mean motions given in the text are exact for the Moon and the innermost planets, Mercury and Venus. Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are correct within a fraction of a day, while Saturn has a considerable error. This work also discovered that the Indian values get progressively more accurate as one travels backward in time, indicating that this mean-motion data is possibly several millennia old.