Maya knew about the irregularities synodic period of Venus

Observatory "Caracol" in the city of Chichen Itza, the Maya political and cultural center in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula. Photo: Gerardo Aldana

In the summer of 1952 a young physicist Richard Feynman with his beautiful blonde wife, Mary-Lou went on honeymoon to Mexico. Honeymoon Honeymoon is of direct relevance to science, because in some small town in Guatemala, "in the center of anything," as Feynman says, was put manuscript filled with strange symbols, pictures, dashes and dots. It was a copy of the Dresden Codex, the Maya created, the original of which is stored in the Dresden Museum.

Richard Feynman interested in strokes and points in the manuscript. He already knew a lot about the Maya Indians - for example, that they invented the zero and thoroughly versed in astronomy, for centuries ahead of his knowledge of European astronomers

. Feynman had bought a copy of the code and began to wrestle with the meaning of dashes and dots. The tables on the 24th page of the Code physicist interested in the number 584, which is "very striking". Next to the number of 584 were 236, 90, 250 and 8, and in the table on page 24 were identified multiples of 2920 (584 × 5) to 13 × 2920 × 13 several multiples of 2920 and various "funny numbers." The physicist suggested that all this has something to do with astronomy. He went to the library and found that 583, 92 days - a rotation period of Venus as seen from Earth

. The scientist realized how deep were the Mayan knowledge of astronomy. These numbers mean the phase through which the Venus, the difference between the eastern and western horizons in the land of the Maya, etc. Moreover, many years later, he realized that "funny numbers" on page 24 were actually integral multiples of something closer to the correct period of 583, 923 days, that is, the Maya understood that the number 584 is not quite right - and why amounted to table amendments to correct this number!



Dresden Codex

Many years after the work of Feynman and Eric Thompson - renowned expert in deciphering the Dresden Codex - Scientists believe that the table is amended on page 24 of a purely numerological character, ie synodic period is calculated only mathematically, using the most appropriate numbers, which are recorded in the table .

According to Thompson, if you multiply the above number by four, add the difference between the numbers in the table, it turns out that the prediction accuracy of the orbit of Venus is one day in 4000 years. This is a remarkable achievement of the Maya, as they carried out their observations during the hundreds of years.

It turns out, not so simple. According to the new theory and the study of professor Geraldo Aldana (Gerardo Aldana) of the University of California at Santa Barbara, the numbers in the table on page 24 of the Dresden Code are not just a numerological character and corrected as a result of observations carried out in the previous century, to 1000, Mr.. e. For several centuries, the Maya systematically observed the behavior of Venus - and recorded the results. Then they calculated the length of the synodic period of Venus 583, 923 days, taking into account the irregularities of this period! That is, the Maya have made corrections based on the results of observations in the values ​​calculated using tables.

Most likely, for Venus observations were carried out in the observatory "Caracol" in Chichen Itza - in the same city in which the Code is made. It should be noted that the Maya did not have telescopes and other powerful optics, so that observations are conducted, apparently, with the naked eye. Watch the phases of Venus thus capable person with a very sharp vision. In the case of Mayan is not one person but many generations of astronomers with a very sharp vision.

To test his theory, Professor Aldana organized an expedition in Copan - one of the largest archaeological sites of ancient settlement in the territory of Honduras. This rich Mayan city was the center of the kingdom Shukuul in VII-VIII centuries. On the mound found many monuments and inscriptions. In Copan scientific team studied the records of Professor Venus observations that match the records on the page 24 in the Dresden Codex.

Thus, the Maya identified irregularities synodic period of Venus for about 700 years before European astronomers, and long before the invention of the telescope.

Geraldo Aldana believes that the Maya performed a thorough observation of Venus is not of pure interest, so that the period of Venus was important to the Mayan calendar, and played an important role in various religious rituals, when the whole city was going and perform some specific rites, based on observations of Venus .

Scientific article «Discovering Discovery: Chich'en Itza, the Drezden Codex Venus Table and 10th Century Mayan Astronomical Innovation» published in the journal Journal of Astronomy in Culture (open access)

. Source: geektimes.ru/post/279582/