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Papers by Susanne M Hoffmann
This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Bab... more This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Babylonian incantations against scorpions (dated ca. 1900–1500 BCE). This group of Akkadian magical texts contains references to a unique astral configuration, that of the crescent Moon in the tail of Scorpius in the autumn sky. Our discussion suggests that this rare asterism was used to determine the autumn equinox, and as such was crucial to the ancient Mesopotamian calendar and intercalation system.
An astronomical analysis of the data in the pseudo-Hipparchus palimpsest in the Codex Climaci Rescriptus
Journal for History of Astronomy, 2024
In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star C... more In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star Catalogue’. In this paper we challenge this hypothesis by stating that (a) we disagree with their astronomical dating and find inconsistencies by using the given numbers, and (b) the terminology and the data format used in the palimpsest do not match Hipparchus or anybody else. Therefore, the palimpsest does not prove anything about Hipparchus’s star catalogue nor did Hipparchus use rectangular constellation borders. Specifically, the constellation of Corona Borealis, typically depicted as a circle since Babylonian times, is not considered a rectangle by Hipparchus. Furthermore, a palimpsest that cannot be dated properly does not confirm the long-known relationship between Hipparchus and Ptolemy as the authors claim.
[academia.edu - for unknown reasons - exchanges the order of authors: this is a bug that I cannot fix]
Standing and Sitting Gods in MUL.APIN
Journal for Astronomical History and Heritage, 2024
In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric mark... more In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric markers, implying that the “Standing and Sitting Gods of the Ekur” are terms referring to two groups of asterisms in the previous lines. Astronomically, this division refers to the ever-visible circle versus the rising and setting constellations in the path of Enlil. Based upon Horowitz’s suggestion that this is also a celestial representation of the presentation scene from Mesopotamian art (N.A.B.U. no.3, 2023), I re-analysed the astronomical meaning of the constellations in the Path of Enlil in MUL.APIN and found an agricultural calendar in the path of Enlil. This finding puts the indigenous Mesopotamian set of constellations in line with other indigenous astronomies that have been found by anthropological and cultural studies all over the world.
a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (20... more a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (2018) in MAA
This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2... more This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2023) and to Hoffmann (2024) in JAHH
Der Globusfreund/ Globe Studies, 2025
Three ancient globes have been completely preserved: the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Far... more Three ancient globes have been completely preserved:
the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Farnese
Globe. Their chronological classification is uncertain.
This comparative study presents a method of reconstructing
the uranographies from the surviving texts (uranologies)
of Aratus, (Pseudo-)Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and
Ptolemy, and comparing them (a) with each other and (b)
with the depictions on the globes. The findings are that
the constellation figures cannot be considered individually,
tell different stories and have different cultures of
origin, and that the Mainz globe (despite its errors) shows
the most comprehensive of the three pictorial inventories
of the star-heavens.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht... more Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht aufgeschrieben; wir können nur aus dem Kontext mutmaßen. Die Vorschläge reichen von der Uhr in seiner provisorischen Sternwarte in Kapstadt bis zur Idee Harrisons für den Longitude-Act (ohne eine konkrete der möglichen Uhren abzubilden). Wir stellen in diesem Aufsatz die Interpretationsmöglichkeiten zusammen.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So... more Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So klar auch das Bild definitiv astronomischen Inhalts ist und mithin von einem hohen Kenntnisstand der mitteldeutschen Kultur zeugt, so schwierig scheint die Auslegung von Zweck und genauem Inhalt des astronomischen Bildes. In Ermangelung von ähnlichen Funden aus Mitteleuropa werden daher astronomische Kenntnisse anderer Kulturen vergleichend herangezogen. Die hier vorgestellten Fakten zu frühen griechischen und mittelbabylonischen Quellen verwerfen die bisherige Interpretation der Scheibe als Darstellung einer Kalender-Schaltregel, gestehen ihr aber eine symbolische Form zur Vorhersage des jahreszeitlichen Wetters zu.
Codices Manuscripti et Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu se... more Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu sehr aus den (sonnengesteuerten) Jahreszeiten herausläuft. Die erste Regel ist am Anfang abgebrochen und wir diskutieren hier, was die richtige Ergänzung ist.
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial bodies, the Sun and Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar calendar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Enoch to Prophet Moses. The Solar calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish calendar returned to using a Solar calendar combined with the Lunar calendar, known as the Lunisolar calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calendar with the Metonic cycle that refers to the movement of the Sun and Moon. The authors argue that the influence of Greek civilization and adjustments to the difference between the Lunar and Solar years caused the changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar.
JIL: Journal of Islamic Law
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar reference was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial objects, the Sun and the Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Idris to Prophet Moses. The Solar Calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar Calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish Calendar returned to using a Solar Calendar combined with the Lunar Calendar, known as the Lunisolar Calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calenda...
VizieR Online Data Catalog: AE Aur and iota Ori runaway stars RV curves (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
What do Deities Tell us about the Celestial Positioning System? (in MUL.APIN)
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press eBooks, Feb 2, 2023
This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalo... more This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalogue" of the early astronomical compendium of MUL.APIN. After a careful re-reading of the text, the authors suggest an interpretation not as a "catalogue" but as an explanatory list. In some cases, this has led to new interpretations concerning the identification of certain celestial objects and the meaning of certain terms and divine names. Consequently, we propose that the deities associated with asterisms can be used to group the astronomical entities and thus help to unveil the frame of reference used in MUL.APIN, which is subdivided on a finer scale than previously realized. In the appendix, we present a tabular layout of the text of MUL.APIN and its translation.
The New Atlas of the Stars
VizieR Online Data Catalog: RV of 11 spectroscopic binaries (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Sep 1, 2020
Astronomische Nachrichten, Jul 1, 2020
We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway st... more We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway stars AE Aur and ι Ori, carried out between September 2016 and May 2018 using the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena. For both stars, we obtained current radial velocity (RV) measurements with better precision than before. These results can be used for further advanced calculations of their space motion, needed to determine, for example, their place of origin in our Galaxy. In this paper, we describe the observations and the data reduction, as well as the analysis of all spectral data. We find a stable RV for AE Aur and confirm ι Ori as a double-lined spectroscopic binary and derive its current Keplerian orbital elements. K E Y W O R D S stars: individual AE Aur, ι Ori, techniques: radial velocities This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Astronomische Nachrichten, 2020
We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with t... more We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena in the course of the Großschwabhausen binary survey between December 2016 and June 2018. The aim of this project is to obtain precise RV measurements for spectroscopic binary stars in order to redetermine, verify, improve, and constrain their Keplerian orbital solutions. In this paper, we describe the observations, data reduction, and analysis and present the results of this project. In total, we have taken 721 RV measurements of 11 stars and derived well-determined orbital solutions for nine systems (seven single-and two double-lined spectroscopic binaries) with periods in the range between 2 and 70 days. In addition, we could rule out the orbital solutions for the previously classified spectroscopic binary systems HIP 107136 and HIP 107533, whose radial velocities are found to be constant on the km s −1-level over a span of time of more than 500 days. In the case of HIP 2225, a significant change of its systematic velocity is detected between our individual observing epochs, indicating the presence of an additional companion, which is located on a wider orbit in this system.
The Astrophysical Journal, Aug 20, 2020
We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in ... more We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in the Cygnus OB3 association at a distance of 1.88 kpc. The object was noted by the Gaia alerts system when its lightcurve exhibited a 4 mag rise in 2018-2019. The brightening was also observable at mid-infared wavelengths. The infrared colors of Gaia 18dvy became bluer as the outburst progressed. Its optical and near-infrared spectroscopic characteristics in the outburst phase are consistent with those of bona fide FU Orionis-type young eruptive stars. The progenitor of the outburst is probably a low-mass K-type star with an optical extinction of ∼3 mag. A radiative transfer modeling of the circumstellar structure, based on the quiescent spectral energy distribution, indicates a disk with a mass of 4×10 −3 M ⊙. Our simple accretion disk modeling implies that the accretion rate had been exponentially increasing for Szegedi-Elek et al. more than 3 years until mid-2019, when it reached a peak value of 6.9 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr −1. In many respects, Gaia 18dvy is similar to the FU Ori-type object HBC 722.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: 308 Hipparcos stars EW Li and spectra (Bischoff+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Bab... more This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Babylonian incantations against scorpions (dated ca. 1900–1500 BCE). This group of Akkadian magical texts contains references to a unique astral configuration, that of the crescent Moon in the tail of Scorpius in the autumn sky. Our discussion suggests that this rare asterism was used to determine the autumn equinox, and as such was crucial to the ancient Mesopotamian calendar and intercalation system.
An astronomical analysis of the data in the pseudo-Hipparchus palimpsest in the Codex Climaci Rescriptus
Journal for History of Astronomy, 2024
In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star C... more In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star Catalogue’. In this paper we challenge this hypothesis by stating that (a) we disagree with their astronomical dating and find inconsistencies by using the given numbers, and (b) the terminology and the data format used in the palimpsest do not match Hipparchus or anybody else. Therefore, the palimpsest does not prove anything about Hipparchus’s star catalogue nor did Hipparchus use rectangular constellation borders. Specifically, the constellation of Corona Borealis, typically depicted as a circle since Babylonian times, is not considered a rectangle by Hipparchus. Furthermore, a palimpsest that cannot be dated properly does not confirm the long-known relationship between Hipparchus and Ptolemy as the authors claim.
[academia.edu - for unknown reasons - exchanges the order of authors: this is a bug that I cannot fix]
Standing and Sitting Gods in MUL.APIN
Journal for Astronomical History and Heritage, 2024
In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric mark... more In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric markers, implying that the “Standing and Sitting Gods of the Ekur” are terms referring to two groups of asterisms in the previous lines. Astronomically, this division refers to the ever-visible circle versus the rising and setting constellations in the path of Enlil. Based upon Horowitz’s suggestion that this is also a celestial representation of the presentation scene from Mesopotamian art (N.A.B.U. no.3, 2023), I re-analysed the astronomical meaning of the constellations in the Path of Enlil in MUL.APIN and found an agricultural calendar in the path of Enlil. This finding puts the indigenous Mesopotamian set of constellations in line with other indigenous astronomies that have been found by anthropological and cultural studies all over the world.
a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (20... more a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (2018) in MAA
This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2... more This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2023) and to Hoffmann (2024) in JAHH
Der Globusfreund/ Globe Studies, 2025
Three ancient globes have been completely preserved: the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Far... more Three ancient globes have been completely preserved:
the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Farnese
Globe. Their chronological classification is uncertain.
This comparative study presents a method of reconstructing
the uranographies from the surviving texts (uranologies)
of Aratus, (Pseudo-)Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and
Ptolemy, and comparing them (a) with each other and (b)
with the depictions on the globes. The findings are that
the constellation figures cannot be considered individually,
tell different stories and have different cultures of
origin, and that the Mainz globe (despite its errors) shows
the most comprehensive of the three pictorial inventories
of the star-heavens.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht... more Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht aufgeschrieben; wir können nur aus dem Kontext mutmaßen. Die Vorschläge reichen von der Uhr in seiner provisorischen Sternwarte in Kapstadt bis zur Idee Harrisons für den Longitude-Act (ohne eine konkrete der möglichen Uhren abzubilden). Wir stellen in diesem Aufsatz die Interpretationsmöglichkeiten zusammen.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So... more Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So klar auch das Bild definitiv astronomischen Inhalts ist und mithin von einem hohen Kenntnisstand der mitteldeutschen Kultur zeugt, so schwierig scheint die Auslegung von Zweck und genauem Inhalt des astronomischen Bildes. In Ermangelung von ähnlichen Funden aus Mitteleuropa werden daher astronomische Kenntnisse anderer Kulturen vergleichend herangezogen. Die hier vorgestellten Fakten zu frühen griechischen und mittelbabylonischen Quellen verwerfen die bisherige Interpretation der Scheibe als Darstellung einer Kalender-Schaltregel, gestehen ihr aber eine symbolische Form zur Vorhersage des jahreszeitlichen Wetters zu.
Codices Manuscripti et Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu se... more Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu sehr aus den (sonnengesteuerten) Jahreszeiten herausläuft. Die erste Regel ist am Anfang abgebrochen und wir diskutieren hier, was die richtige Ergänzung ist.
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial bodies, the Sun and Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar calendar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Enoch to Prophet Moses. The Solar calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish calendar returned to using a Solar calendar combined with the Lunar calendar, known as the Lunisolar calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calendar with the Metonic cycle that refers to the movement of the Sun and Moon. The authors argue that the influence of Greek civilization and adjustments to the difference between the Lunar and Solar years caused the changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar.
JIL: Journal of Islamic Law
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar reference was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial objects, the Sun and the Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Idris to Prophet Moses. The Solar Calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar Calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish Calendar returned to using a Solar Calendar combined with the Lunar Calendar, known as the Lunisolar Calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calenda...
VizieR Online Data Catalog: AE Aur and iota Ori runaway stars RV curves (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
What do Deities Tell us about the Celestial Positioning System? (in MUL.APIN)
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press eBooks, Feb 2, 2023
This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalo... more This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalogue" of the early astronomical compendium of MUL.APIN. After a careful re-reading of the text, the authors suggest an interpretation not as a "catalogue" but as an explanatory list. In some cases, this has led to new interpretations concerning the identification of certain celestial objects and the meaning of certain terms and divine names. Consequently, we propose that the deities associated with asterisms can be used to group the astronomical entities and thus help to unveil the frame of reference used in MUL.APIN, which is subdivided on a finer scale than previously realized. In the appendix, we present a tabular layout of the text of MUL.APIN and its translation.
The New Atlas of the Stars
VizieR Online Data Catalog: RV of 11 spectroscopic binaries (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Sep 1, 2020
Astronomische Nachrichten, Jul 1, 2020
We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway st... more We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway stars AE Aur and ι Ori, carried out between September 2016 and May 2018 using the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena. For both stars, we obtained current radial velocity (RV) measurements with better precision than before. These results can be used for further advanced calculations of their space motion, needed to determine, for example, their place of origin in our Galaxy. In this paper, we describe the observations and the data reduction, as well as the analysis of all spectral data. We find a stable RV for AE Aur and confirm ι Ori as a double-lined spectroscopic binary and derive its current Keplerian orbital elements. K E Y W O R D S stars: individual AE Aur, ι Ori, techniques: radial velocities This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Astronomische Nachrichten, 2020
We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with t... more We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena in the course of the Großschwabhausen binary survey between December 2016 and June 2018. The aim of this project is to obtain precise RV measurements for spectroscopic binary stars in order to redetermine, verify, improve, and constrain their Keplerian orbital solutions. In this paper, we describe the observations, data reduction, and analysis and present the results of this project. In total, we have taken 721 RV measurements of 11 stars and derived well-determined orbital solutions for nine systems (seven single-and two double-lined spectroscopic binaries) with periods in the range between 2 and 70 days. In addition, we could rule out the orbital solutions for the previously classified spectroscopic binary systems HIP 107136 and HIP 107533, whose radial velocities are found to be constant on the km s −1-level over a span of time of more than 500 days. In the case of HIP 2225, a significant change of its systematic velocity is detected between our individual observing epochs, indicating the presence of an additional companion, which is located on a wider orbit in this system.
The Astrophysical Journal, Aug 20, 2020
We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in ... more We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in the Cygnus OB3 association at a distance of 1.88 kpc. The object was noted by the Gaia alerts system when its lightcurve exhibited a 4 mag rise in 2018-2019. The brightening was also observable at mid-infared wavelengths. The infrared colors of Gaia 18dvy became bluer as the outburst progressed. Its optical and near-infrared spectroscopic characteristics in the outburst phase are consistent with those of bona fide FU Orionis-type young eruptive stars. The progenitor of the outburst is probably a low-mass K-type star with an optical extinction of ∼3 mag. A radiative transfer modeling of the circumstellar structure, based on the quiescent spectral energy distribution, indicates a disk with a mass of 4×10 −3 M ⊙. Our simple accretion disk modeling implies that the accretion rate had been exponentially increasing for Szegedi-Elek et al. more than 3 years until mid-2019, when it reached a peak value of 6.9 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr −1. In many respects, Gaia 18dvy is similar to the FU Ori-type object HBC 722.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: 308 Hipparcos stars EW Li and spectra (Bischoff+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
Nuncius Hamburgensis, 2021
Proceedings of Conference on Applied and Computational Historical Astronomy
Franckh Kosmos Verlag, 2021
For each of the 88 official constellations: the history and a note on mythology.
"Ein nützliches Unternehmen" - Jean Fortins Atlas Céleste und die Entwicklung der Himmelsatlanten im 18. Jh.
Hipparchs Himmelsglobus
Autorin rekonstruiert den nicht überlieferten Himmelsglobus des Hipparch von Nicäa digital und re... more Autorin rekonstruiert den nicht überlieferten Himmelsglobus des Hipparch von Nicäa digital und recherchiert die Herkunft seiner Daten und Quellen. Mithilfe der Fehleranalyse im Datensatz untersucht sie Bezüge zu babylonischen und griechischen Messverfahren und eventuell bei Messungen oder durch Kopierprozesse entstandene Fehler. Zwar ist Hipparch laut Aussage von Ptolemaios im Almagest für seine genauen Beobachtungen bekannt, allerdings muss er nicht zwingend alle Daten selbst beobachtet haben. Hierfür könnte er auch Quellen früher babylonischer und griechischer Astronomen genutzt haben. Daher startet die Autorin die Analyse mit MUL.APIN, interpretiert den GU-Text und den shitqulu-Text neu und diskutiert unter anderem die Schriften von Euklid, Eratosthenes, Arat und Hypsikles. Abschließend stellt die Autorin die Texte und Datenwerke in eine chronologische Ordnung und entwirft damit eine neue Geschichte der Astrometrie im -1. Millennium.
Der große Kosmos Himmelsatlas. Alle Sternbilder der Welt auf praktischen Folienkarten
Entdecken Sie die Sternbilder am Nord- und Südhimmel, wie man sie in einer sternklaren Nacht bewu... more Entdecken Sie die Sternbilder am Nord- und Südhimmel, wie man sie in einer sternklaren Nacht bewundern kann. Jede fotografische Sternkarte besitzt eine transparente Folienseite, auf der Sternbildlinien, Sternnamen und die schönsten Himmelsobjekte markiert sind. Axel Mellinger und Susanne Hoffmann haben aus 51 Sternfeldaufnahmen diesen einzigartigen Atlas erstellt. Durch den Einsatz leistungsfähiger Computer und eigens für diese Aufgabe entwickelter Software konnten alle Einzelaufnahmen zu einem Gesamtpanorama vereint, "entzerrt" und schließlich in 30 Himmelsausschnitte unterteilt werden. Außerdem: ausführliche Beschreibungen der Sternbilder und über 140 Himmelsobjekte für Fernglas und Fernrohr.
by Gudrun Wolfschmidt, Susanne M Hoffmann, Petra Hyklova, Oliver Schwarz, Erik Høg, Harald Gropp, Andreas Schrimpf, Reinhard Schielicke, Walter Stephani, Martin Solc, and HHM Zeder
Booklet of Abstracts. Astronomy in the Baltic- Astronomie im Ostseeraum. , Sep 2015
Kolloquium (Tagung) des Arbeitskreises Astronomiegeschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft. C... more Kolloquium (Tagung) des Arbeitskreises Astronomiegeschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft. Colloquium of the Working Group History of Astronomy in the Astronomical Society. Astronomy in the Baltic - Astronomie im Ostseeraum, organisiert von Gudrun Wolfschmidt. Kiel, 13.-14. September 2015.
Contributions by Carsten Busch, Roger Ceragioli, Dietmar Fürst, Rob H. van Gent, Harald Gropp, Rahlf Hansen, Eike-Christian Harden, Erik Høg, Susanne M. Hoffmann, Petra Hyklová, Irena Kampa, Olaf Kretzer, Paul Kunitzsch, Dietrich Lemke, Heiner Lichtenberg, Rita Meyer-Spasche, Markus Mugrauer, Dagmar Neuhäuser, Ralph Neuhäuser, Elvira Pfitzner, Christine Rink, Reinhard E. Schielicke, Andreas Schrimpf, Oliver Schwarz, Martin Solc, Walter Stephani, Regina Umland and David Walker.
Studien zur Konstruktionsgeschichte des größten Brachymedials der Welt
The New Atlas of the Stars: Constellations, Stars and Celestial Objects
The first tablet of MUL.APIN begins with a long list of names of asterisms (most of them constell... more The first tablet of MUL.APIN begins with a long list of names of asterisms (most of them constellations, some single stars) which are associated with certain deities. Our investigation is based on the text as reconstructed by Hunger and Pingree (1989) and currently re-edited by Hunger and Steele. Our presentation aims at conceptualizing and visualizing the Babylonian sky based on a careful re-reading of the text and discusses the problems of some conventional translations. Furthermore, the deities linked to asterisms will be examined more closely than in the past. The resulting textual interpretations have led to new suggestions, which are illustrated via a 3D model and compared with previous visual representations of asterisms. The combination of a philological approach with astronomical computation holds potential for improving our understanding of Babylonian uranography and its historical development.
All figures, maps and displayed globes are based on data of the ancient text discussed. They are ... more All figures, maps and displayed globes are based on data of the ancient text discussed. They are visualizations of those texts, programming, screen shots etc. all done by Susanne M Hoffmann, only using a routine for the precession of stars by Graßhoff/ Rinner (2010), reworked and developed by Gordon Fischer (2014). All figures, maps and displayed globes are based on data of the ancient text discussed. They are visualizations of those texts, programming, screen shots etc. all done by Susanne M Hoffmann, only using a routine for the precession of stars by Graßhoff/ Rinner (2010), reworked and developed by Gordon Fischer (2014). Coordinates of stars given by the Almagest (dating +138) and according to Hipparchus (dating ca.-128), reconstructed (SMH, 2014). White: all 9110 stars of the Bright Star Catalog with magnitudes brighter than 4.2 mag MUL.APIN ziqpu stars Outlook Up to now my studies concerned the genesis and development of frames of reference in the ancient world. Further investigations will focus on ziqpu-stars and normal stars and the tablets giving at least longitudes or distances of those stars one to the next. The results therefore concern the history of constellations, the transfer of the zodiac from Mesopotamia to Greece and Together with other scholars I hope to create a database on places and historical times/ epochs where the texts stem from. possible ways of data transfer from one of those two cultures to the other. This database will lead to a better understanding of the development, transfer and transformation of knowledge from early Babylonian origins of mathematical This is a lifelong project for a historian because philologists continuously find and publish new material: new clay tablets, astronomy in MUL.APIN through the Babylonian astronomical diaries, maybe influenced by early Greek astronomy which has been triggered by learning from new new papyri, new translations of known texts … maybe even new drawings and sculptures. Babylonian Hellenistic mathematical astronomy. Later we hope to answer the question who had learned what from whom.
Time and Space Measurement in Ancient Babylonia and Greece
In ancient Babylonia and Greece astronomical methods served for measuring time and time measureme... more In ancient Babylonia and Greece astronomical methods served for measuring time and time measurements probably served for determining the positions of stars. The ancient concept of spacetime had been different from ours but nevertheless served well for the process of the development of orthogonal spacial coordinate systems in ancient astronomy and geography.
The fall of the Iron Curtain and the increased availability of aerial pictures led not only to a ... more The fall of the Iron Curtain and the increased availability of aerial pictures led not only to a rise of newly discovered circular enclosures −so called ditch-palisade-systems or roundels− dating to the Middle Neolithic (5 th Millennium BC), but also showed a concentration of these monuments in central Germany. Located in close proximity to each other on the fertile Loess soils in the northern foreland of the Harz Mountains, two of these circular enclosures dating to the Stichbandkeramik Culture (Stroke-Ornamented Pottery Culture) have been partially excavated in recent years. The distinct positioning of causeways and gaps in the palisades of the roundel Quedlinburg I, excavated by the Free University of Berlin since 2010, as well as the location of some landscape features nearby indicate a bias towards certain astronomic dates as could be similarly proven for other roundels throughout Europe. On the basis of a high-resolution digital elevation model together with the results of the excavations, potential lines of sight to both topographic and astronomic landmarks were computed and will be presented along with the results of a GIS-based viewshed analysis. To understand the spatial relationship between the roundels and nearby coeval settlement sites, a point pattern analysis was also undertaken. The close proximity of several circular enclosures led to the question as to how those monuments were integrated not only in the settlement area but also in a potentially well-defined social structure. It is evident that the construction of such enormous monuments not only required a significant amount of manpower but also necessitated a high degree of organizational skills and a corresponding social structure to implement it. Further objectives of the project are to distinguish settlement preferences through analysing geomorphologic criteria and estimating the impact of the monuments to the landscape. Based on different scenarios of deforestation examples for a probable Middle Neolithic landscape around the monuments will be presented. Time permitting, complementary comparative investigations of spatial patterns and viewsheds of circular enclosures in Northern Bavaria and Saxony will be carried out.
Measuring space by time in ancient Babylonia and Greece
Although there is no celestial map preserved from ancient Greece or Mesopotamia, there are severa... more Although there is no celestial map preserved from ancient Greece or Mesopotamia, there are several hints pointing to uranographies in both cultures. One of the most interesting questions is how those ancient astronomers measured the positions of celestial objects and the answer in many cases is time.
The poster presents a comparison of Greek and Babylonian frames of reference and together with my talk it shows the evidence the frames of reference provide for the measurement of time with the celestial sphere as well as the measurement of distances on the celestial sphere by time.
Two pictures - explained and discussed in the poster session - mapping the areas of Babylonian an... more Two pictures - explained and discussed in the poster session - mapping the areas of Babylonian and Greek constellations and a few notes to compare those maps.
How did constellations develop in Mesopotamia? Which constellations were taken over to or transf... more How did constellations develop in Mesopotamia?
Which constellations were taken over to or transformed into Greek astronomical tradition?
Visualization of Text as Argument
How did constellations develop in Mesopotamia? Which constellations were taken over to or transfo... more How did constellations develop in Mesopotamia? Which constellations were taken over to or transformed into Greek astronomical tradition?
Our modern coordinate systems root in ancient astronomy. The first coordinate system preserved is... more Our modern coordinate systems root in ancient astronomy. The first coordinate system preserved is the data in ecliptical coordinates in the Almagest Star Catalogue (150 CE) featuring longitude and latitude for each star. In any earlier texts in Greek and Babylonian mathematical astronomy we find different positioning systems for stars: some of them use the local horizon as frame of reference, some use the shapes of constellations in a broad variety of culturally different constellation outlines. At least, after analysing many texts in copies of ancient Greek manuscripts and Babylonian clay tablets we can tell a story of development from the early and raw Babylonian equatorial system in MUL.APIN (ca. 1200 BCE) to the detailed ecliptical system in the Almagest.
snhltsverzeihnis I hie fedeutung des enustrnsits f¤ ur die ermessung des onnensystems Q P her rmu... more snhltsverzeihnis I hie fedeutung des enustrnsits f¤ ur die ermessung des onnensystems Q P her rmurger estronom tohnn prnz inke R
We want youngsters and teachers to learn to work together with people all over the world. The det... more We want youngsters and teachers to learn to work together with people all over the world. The determination of astronomical distances by triangulationrequires large baselines and therefore forces young (hobby) scientists, students and pupils to travel far around the earth to collect the needed data.
Typisch für Ernst-Peter Fischer ist sein Plauderstil und das breite Fachwissen, nachdem er Physik... more Typisch für Ernst-Peter Fischer ist sein Plauderstil und das breite Fachwissen, nachdem er Physik, Biologie und Mathematik studiert hat. Leider zeigt er auch exemplarisch eine konzeptuelle Schwäche der Disziplin "Wissenschaftsgeschichte" auf, in dem er sich habilitierte, nämlich, dass wenige Vertreter wie Lehrstuhlinhaber und Forscher dieses Fach selbst nicht studiert haben. So wird die Literatur in diesem Genre leider oft mit Publizistik verwechselt und strotzt von fachlichen Ungenauigkeiten (bis hin zu Fehlern) aufgrund des Halbwissens der Autoren. Fischer behauptet beispielsweise auf S.15-17 beharrlich, dass der Satz "Die Nacht ist der Schatten der Erde" erst ab dem 16. Jahrhundert und der Weltbildrevolution des Kopernikus geschrieben werden konnte. Das ist falsch, denn dass die Erde einen Schatten wirft, liegt weder an ihrer Stellung im All noch der Frage, ob sie ruht oder sich dreht und um die Sonne bewegt, sondern einzig an ihrer Kugelgestalt. Die Kugelgestalt war aber bereits seit der Antike bekannt und sogar schon bei Aristoteles finden wir den Hinweis auf den Schatten dieser Himmelskörperkugel, den sie bis zum Mond wirft (im Fall von Mondfinsternissen z.B.) und Aristoteles führt diese Erkenntnis auf seine Altvorderen zurück, so dass die Entstehung der Nacht also bereits im Altertum korrekt erklärt werden konnte. Auch die mythologische Verkleidung der Gedichte Hesiods, die die religiösen Weltbilder der frühen griechischen, babylonischen und ägyptischen Kultur widerspiegelt, kann Fischer nicht korrekt kontextuieren-ein Armutszeugnis für einen ehemaligen Professor, der sich in Wissenschaftsgeschichte habilitiert hat.
Uranometria 1603 - neuer Fax. 2010
Goldbachs Himmelsatlas 1799 - neu!!!
StarTrek und Kunst als Sprache
Diskussion: "Thomas de Padova: Leibniz, Newton und die Erfindung der Zeit,2013"
Rezension: "Richard von Schirach: Die Nacht der Physiker -- Heisenberg, Hahn, Weizsäcker und die deutsche Bombe, Berenberg Verlag, Berlin 2012" in: Das Historische Politische Buch, 2013
Kino: Vermessung der Welt
Die Tagung des Arbeitskreises Astronomiegeschichte der Astronomischen Gesellschaft 2015 in Kiel v... more Die Tagung des Arbeitskreises Astronomiegeschichte der Astronomischen Gesellschaft 2015 in Kiel veranlasste uns, den AKAG, zu einer Rückschau auf die einflussreiche "Kieler Schule", die von Albrecht Unsöld gegründet worden war. Mir war die Ehre aufgetragen worden, diesen Artikel zu recherchieren und mit den Infromationen einiger Interviews von Zeitzeugen (Oral History) zu bereichern.
teaches about Mauretania, the landscape, cultural impressions & stories, gives seven very short l... more teaches about Mauretania, the landscape, cultural impressions & stories, gives seven very short lections in astronomy
Heliozentrisches Weltbild in Afrika?
Arabische Nächte (smh 2008)
Die Archenhold-Sternwarte in Berlin
brief history, Verabschiedung von Dieter B Herrmann als Direktor
here I collect the typos that are possibly misleading
YouTube Kanal "ScienceAndFunOnline" (Lehr- und Infomaterial)
Lehrmaterialien Astronomie & Naturkunde
Weblog (Verlag Spektrum der Wissenschaft)