Astronomers have recently identified what may be the oldest recorded mention of a solar eclipse, found in the ancient Hindu text, the Rig Veda. This discovery places the eclipse approximately 6,000 years ago.
The Rig Veda, a compilation of hymns and philosophical reflections dating back to around 1500 B.C., includes references to various astronomical and historical events. Although the text itself is from a later period, some of its records date much further back.
In a recent article published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, astronomers Mayank Vahia from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Mitsuru Soma from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan reported their findings. They discovered descriptions in the Rig Veda that allude to an ancient solar eclipse.
The text contains passages referring to the location of the sun during the vernal equinox, with one mentioning Orion and another the Pleiades. Due to Earth’s axial precession, the positions of celestial events shift over time. Currently, the vernal equinox is in Pisces, but it was in Orion around 4500 B.C. and in the Pleiades around 2230 B.C., allowing astronomers to estimate the eclipse’s timing.
Although the Rig Veda passages do not explicitly describe the eclipse phenomenon, they talk about the sun being “pierced” with darkness and gloom, caused by evil beings who made the sun’s “magic arts vanish.” These descriptions are unrelated to the more modern mythological stories of Rahu and Ketu.
By analyzing these passages, astronomers were able to narrow down the eclipse to a few possible dates: October 22, 4202 B.C., and October 19, 3811 B.C. Both dates predate the oldest previously known records of solar eclipses.
This finding not only sheds light on ancient astronomical knowledge but also emphasizes the historical significance of the Rig Veda in documenting early celestial events.
