INTERESTING COSMOS

  Temple Astronomy 5 This part is a continuation of the Temple Astronomy series. Parts click here  1 ,  2 ,  3 , 4 Natural topography, various rituals, cultural traditions and Hindu calendars have always influenced the design and construction of temples. We have seen temples aligned to cardinal directions, equinox, and a particular time of the day to capture the Sun's rays to illuminate the temple deity. In this part, we see temples aligned to the Sun's rays, lunar phases and to specific festival  rituals  Amba bai Temple, Kolhapur Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur is now addressed as Mahalaxmi Temple. A 7 th century temple built during the Chalukya era. The temple survived invasions and remained a spiritual hub despite political instability. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar made significant contributions to the temple's renovation. This temple is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peeths in India. The temple is known for Kirnottsav. The sun’s rays illuminate the deity from...

Analemma To be read in conjunction with Temple Astronomy 5 An analemma is the figure-eight curve that traces the Sun's position in the sky at the same time of day throughout the year. It accounts for the Equation of Time (the difference between solar time and clock time) and the Sun's declination A lunar analemma is a composite figure-8 or teardrop curve traced by the Moon in the sky when photographed from the same exact location at the same time every day for a lunar month (approximately 29.5 days Distinction from Solar Analemma : Unlike the solar analemma, which plots the Sun's position over a year, the lunar analemma tracks the Moon over approximately one month. The photograph has to be taken 50 minutes and 29 seconds later each day to see the Moon in the same place.   The figure 8 shape of the analemma is due to   North-South Motion (Latitude Shift): The Moon's orbital path is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to Earth's ecliptic plane. As the ...