Unit 2: Ancient Skywatching of the Moon, Planets, and Stars

What was the Mayans’ settlement date?

3000 B.C.E.

What was the time period of the Mayans’ settlement?

300 C.E. ↔ 1500 C.E.

True or False: Mayan astronomy was built on other cultures.

False: Mayan astronomy was built on its own.

With what did Mayans’ written language associate celestial bodies?

gods

What is Chichén Itzá’s location?

Yucatán Peninsula

What was Chichén Itzá’s original purpose?

• cultural city centre

What is Temple of Kukulkan’s Spanish name?

El Castillo

What is the Temple of Kukulkan’s shape?

square pyramid

What is the Temple of Kukulkan’s total number of steps?

91 side steps * 4 sides + 1 top step = 365

What is the astronomical significance of the Temple of Kukulkan’s number of steps?

• 91 = number of days between equinox & solstice

What is Kukulkan’s identity?

serpent god

What does ‘Kukulkan’ mean?

• Plumed / Feathered … Serpent

What is at the Temple of Kukulkan’s north staircase?

2 serpent carvings at bottom sides

What happens at the Temple of Kukulkan during an equinox?

large steps cast serpent shadow on side

What is special about El Caracol’s construction?

only Chichén Itzá site with round building

What is El Caracol’s purpose?

• observatory

What is El Caracol’s number of windows?

3

What is the astronomical connection of El Caracol’s west window?

• Venus’ northernmost rise

• equinox sunset

What is the astronomical connection of El Caracol’s southwest window?

• Venus’ southernmost rise

What is the time length of Venus’ sky path completion?

584 days

What was Mayan written language recorded on?

bark book

What was bark paper’s development date?

400 C.E. ↔ 500 C.E.

What is bark paper’s source?

fig tree

What is a bark book’s shape?

accordion

What was the Dresden Codex’ original production date?

700 C.E.

What was the Dresden Codex’ reproduction date?

1200 C.E. ↔ 1400 C.E.

What is the Dresden Codex’ name origin?

Dresden, Germany

What is the Dresden Codex’ length?

78 pages on both sides

What is the Dresden Codex’ present location?

Saxton State and University Library

What was the Dresden Codex’ acquisition method and date?

1700 C.E: bought from Spanish over sea

What is special about the Dresden Codex?

bark book with most astronomical info

What is the Dresden Codex’ astronomical connection?

• 400 months (up to 12000 years) of eclipse warning tables

• 100 years of Venus’ cycle

What was the purpose of predicting Venus’ cycle?

• worship Kukulkan

What was the Paris Codex’ production date?

900 C.E. ↔ 1500 C.E.

What was the Paris Codex’ discovery location?

Bibliothèque Nationale garbage

True or False: It is unknown as to how the Paris Codex ended up in France.

True.

What was the Mayans’ predicted date for the end of the world?

December 21, 2012

What is the Mayans’ predicted date for the end of the world in Mayan calendar notation?

18th Kins of the 17th Uinals of the 19th Tuns of the 19th Katuns of the 12th Baktuns

What characterizes the Long Count calendar?

• non-repeat

• finite

True or False: There was scientific basis for something bad to happen at the Mayans’ predicted date for the end of the world.

False: There was no scientific basis for anything bad to happen on December 21, 2012.

What is the day after the Mayans’ predicted date for the end of the world?

December 22, 2012

What is the day after the Mayans’ predicted date for the end of the world in Mayan calendar notation?

13th Baktun

What was the Long Count calendar’s start date?

August 3114 B.C.E.

What is the number of elapsed years from the Long Count calendar’s start date?

5125

What is the Long Count calendar start date’s purpose?

• human creation date

What does the past 13 baktun cycle represent?

before humans

What does the present 13 baktun cycle represent?

next human stage

What happens to the Mayan Calendar at the end of a Long Count calendar?

0.0.0.0.0

What was Monument 6’ discovery location?

Tabasco region, Mexico

What is the Monument 6’ text translation?

13th Baktun end

What is a Baktun’s time length?

144000 days

What is a Katun’s time length?

7200 days

What is a Tun’s time length?

360 days

What is a Uinal’s time length?

20 days

What is a Kin’s time length?

1 day

What is the Mayan Calendar notation method?

“The x^th kins of the x^th uials of the x^th tuns of the x^th katuns of the x^th baktuns…”

What represents 0 in the Mayan numeric system?

shell

What represents 1 in the Mayan numeric system?

dot

What represents 5 in the Mayan numeric system?

horizontal line

What are the Mayan numeric system placeholders?

• 8000

• 400

• 20

• 1

What was the reason for the eclipse equating fear to Mayans?

because…

• sun = daily life

What was the reason for Mayan predictions?

because…

• prepare & prevent

What does ‘lunation’ mean?

• moon phase rotation

What is the time length of a lunation?

29.5 days

True or False: A lunation’s exact time length varies because the moon orbit isn’t a perfect circle.

True.

What is the full lunation list?

1. new moon

2. waxing crescent

3. 1st quarter

4. waxing gibbous

5. full moon

6. waning gibbous

7. 3rd quarter

8. waning crescent

What is a new moon’s appearance?

no sunlit portion

What is a waxing crescent’s appearance?

small right sunlit portion

What is a 1st quarter’s appearance?

half right sunlit portion

What is a waxing gibbous’ appearance?

large right sunlit portion

What is a full moon’s appearance?

all sunlit portion

What is a waning gibbous’ appearance?

large left sunlit portion

What is a 3rd quarter’s appearance?

half left sunlit portion

What is a waning crescent’s appearance?

small left sunlit portion

What should one draw to determine the moon phase?

horizon line on celestial sphere from position

What does ‘annular solar eclipse’ mean?

• sun ring around covering moon

What was the Florentine Codex’ publication date?

1575 C.E.

What is the Florentine Codex’ length?

2000 pages

What is the Florentine Codex writer’s identity?

Fray Bernardino de Sahagún

• Spaniard

What did the Florentine Codex claim?

• shouts everywhere

• sacrificed people of light complexion

• ‘darkness demon will eat men’

What is the time length of an eclipse cycle?

18 years

What does ‘solar eclipse’ mean?

• new moon cast shadows on Earth

What is the celestial body order in space during a solar eclipse?

• Sun → Moon → Earth

What does one experience if they are in the Moon’s penumbra shadow during a solar eclipse?

partial solar eclipse

What does one experience if they are in the Moon’s umbra shadow during a solar eclipse?

total solar eclipse

True or False: If people are outside the Moon’s umbra & penumbra shadows, they can see the solar eclipse happen.

False: Earth outside umbra & penumbra shadows wouldn’t see the solar eclipse happen.

What does ‘lunar eclipse’ mean?

• full moon passes Earth’s shadow

What is the celestial body order in space during a lunar eclipse?

• Sun → Earth → Moon

What does ‘penumbral lunar eclipse’ mean?

• full moon passes Earth’s penumbra shadow

What does ‘partial lunar eclipse’ mean?

• full moon partially passes Earth’s umbra

What does ‘total lunar eclipse’ mean?

• full moon fully enters Earth’s deep red umbra shadow

What is the reason for Moon’s red shadow during a total lunar eclipse?

because…

• Earth’s atmosphere refracts light and hits moon

True or False: If people are in daytime, they cannot see the lunar eclipse happen.

True.

What is the reason for the eclipse cycle time length?

because…

• moon orbit tilt

What is the moon orbit tilt?

5°

What mostly happens to a new moon shadow in relation to Earth?

shadow’s mostly below Earth

What mostly happens to a full moon shadow in relation to Earth?

shadow’s mostly above Earth

What does ‘eclipse season’ mean?

• coplanar Moon & Earth orbit

What is the time length of an eclipse season?

31-38 days

What is the reason for at least 1 eclipse during an eclipse season?

because…

• eclipse season time length > lunation length