My research paper on Siddhantic concept of the equinoxes offers newer insights to emerging trends in Science on Precession (Part 1)

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A work that I would prefer to call as the magnum opus of my life is now getting published as a series in the reputed astrological magazine founded by Dr. B.V. Raman. Dr. Raman’s contribution to arriving at the rate of Precession is well known to many. I feel honored to have my research paper on the Siddhantic version of precession verified with paleocliamtic data, offering newer insights to recent trends in science on precession, accepted for publication in this magazine after being reviewed by the editorial team.

The paper is published as a multi-part series starting from August 2020 issue of the magazine.

Click here to download the August 2020 issue https://astrologicalmagazine.com/

Recent trends in science:

Certain recent observations in planetary science have raised doubts on the reliability of the luni-solar model of the precession of the equinoxes. A brief account of them is given below:

1.      The earth’s spin axis is no longer precessing, i.e. not moving westward, but had started moving eastward. (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/grl.50552 )

“Around the year 2000, Earth's spin axis took an abrupt turn toward the east and is now drifting almost twice as fast as before, at a rate of almost 7 inches (17 centimeters) a year. "It's no longer moving toward Hudson Bay, but instead toward the British Isles," reports Adhikari who had presented quite a few research papers on this topic. (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6332 )

NASA scientists  have identified three factors influencing the axial drift, namely isostatic rebound of land forms formerly under ice sheets, melting of the ice sheets and mantle convection – each having equal weightage in influencing the axial drift. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180919195906.htm)

The axial drift is therefore guided by internal dynamics of the earth and not by external forces such as luni-solar pull which is the basis for the current theory of precession.

2.      This revelation brings us to the next issue on what happens with the moon in relation to the earth. The moon is receding from us thereby theoretically producing less torque, whereas the rate of precession is found to be increasing which can happen due to greater force on the earth as per luni-solar theory. This contradiction is now being noticed, but when read with the previous point, it is understood that the earth’s axial motion is not influenced by the moon or the sun. Added to this is the fact demonstrated in space station that a gyroscope in zero gravity does not change its orientation come whatever be the disturbance to it. https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2016/03/Gyroscopes_in_space  This means earth does not behave like a rotating gyroscope in zero gravity, which is contrary to the current concept that is the basis for the 26000 year cycle of precession.

3.      That there is no precession of the earth is established by the data on lunar cycle equations and eclipse calculations. http://www.binaryresearchinstitute.org/bri/research/evidence/lunarcycle.shtml The earth completes a full revolution of 360 degrees from one like equinox to another like equinox and is not found short of the proverbial precession amount of 52 arc seconds. Examination of the past data also shows that the spring equinox had occurred on the same Gregorian date (after leap year adjustment) and not drifted. The spring equinox occurs on 21^st March (or 20^th) now and it was on the same Gregorian date in the year 499 CE, at the time of Aryabhata when the tropical equinox coincided with sidereal equinox. (check out Fig 5 in my blog: http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2020/07/mahabharata-date-is-intertwined-with.html )

This means that there is no variation in the dates with reference to the earth in relation to the sun as it circles around the sun. The points of equinoxes and solstices are fixed on the circle of orbit of the earth. What is perceived as precession is the shift noticed in the background frame of reference when the entire circle is moving ahead. This can be possible only if the sun along with the entire solar system is moving in a curved path. Only in that case, there can be absence of precession with reference to sun but presence of precession with reference to a distant star.

Since the rate is increasing now, the researchers hypothesize a binary companion for the sun, with the sun presently moving around the perigee. The implication of this which is not yet grasped by the scientists is that the sun is going to change the direction of its movement by which we will see the equinox moving forward. This forward movement of the equinox after a backward movement is exactly the version of Surya Siddhanta and revealed variously by different authors in the past and expressed by limited shift of the pole stars in the Puranas.

In this backdrop I worked on the Siddhantic concept of precession in comparison with the Milankovitch cycles and checked with paleoclimatic data since the beginning of Last Glacial Maximum. My findings reveal a wavy or a sinusoidal path for the sun with least scope for a binary companion.

This implies that in the next generation simulators based on Siddhantic precession, Arundhati will be seen ‘walking behind’ Vasishtha and Amavasya or Pournami not happening on the “13^th day”, forcing the researchers to learn the basics and start from the basics.

The abstract of my paper gives in a nutshell the contents and the focus of my paper. Request readers to share this paper, discuss and come up with constructive responses, if any.  

Abstract

The current theory of the axial precession of the earth relative to the distant stars resulting in the continuous precession of the equinoxes and the corresponding pole shift in a circle around the zodiac in a cycle of approximately 26000 years is not recognized by the Indic Thought that proposes a short cycle of 7200 years consisting of forward and backward motion of the equinoxes and a corresponding limited number of pole stars spread across the span of the constellation of Ursa Minor, known as Shishumara in Puranas and the Vedic texts. The decipherment of the ‘difficult passage’ of Siddhanta Shiromani reveals the cycle of eccentricity of the earth’s orbit that differs from that of Milankovitch which suffers from ‘100 000 year problem’. The precession cycle of Milankovitch stands disputed by the Surya Siddhantic cycle and the ‘Yuga of Ayana’ of Munjāla and Vishnuchandra that consists of three cycles of equinoxes. The concept of obliquity of Milankovitch absent in Indic Thought is also non- existent in the emerging scientific revelation from lunar data and solar path-based movement that is mistaken as precession of the axial tilt.  The three Indic cycles enumerated from the Siddhantas and checked against the Milankovitch cycles are verified with paleocliamtic data. It is found that the sequence of glacial events since the Last Glacial Maximum match with the mid-point of the Ayana cycle of the equinoxes. The incidence of Dansgaard –Oeschger events that remain unexplained by any current theory are found to match with the Ayana cycles, besides giving credence to the sinusoidal path of the sun that is observed as to and fro motion for an observer on the earth.