Emily Chan
After examining an ancient Hindu text called the Rig Veda, they discovered the earliest known reference to a total solar eclipse that occurred about 6,000 years ago.
The Rig Veda is a collection of hymns and quotes from various schools of religion and philosophy. It was compiled around 1500 B.C.
Some passages in the Rig Veda mentioned the position of the rising sun during the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox occurs twice a year. During these times, the sun is right above the equator, and day and night are of equal length.
One reference from the Rig Veda stated that the vernal equinox occurred in Orion, while another had it taking place in the Pleiades.
Experts have been able to date the references because the relative position of astronomical events changes as the Earth spins on its axis.
Right now, the vernal equinox is in the constellation Pisces. Around 4500 B.C., it was in Orion, and it was in Pleiades around 2230 B.C.
This means the Rig Veda contains documentation of events that happened much earlier than its compilation.
The language of the Rig Veda is highly symbolic and metaphorical, which makes it a challenge to determine the differences between myths and actual historical events.
However, two astronomers, Mayank Vahia from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and Mitsuru Soma from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, think they have found real references to an ancient solar eclipse.
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