Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Critical remarks on the use of medieval eclipse records for the determination of long-term changes in the Earth's rotation

  • Published:
Surveys in Geophysics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The use of some Arabic medieval solar and lunar eclipse records for the determination of secular changes in the Earth's rotation is critically reviewed. The published results derived from these data suggest a non-uniform decrease in the Earth's rotation rate over the last 27 cy. There is, however, up to this day no sound physical explanation for the deduced ‘non-tidal oscillations’, with an apparent period of about 1500 yr and a semi-amplitude of some 4 ms in the l.o.d., which overlayed to a constant secular tidal change in the Earth's rotation rate produce a net non-uniform deceleration of the Earth's rotation. In this paper we discuss a set of observations, which were executed by professional Arabic astronomers. We show by our analysis the way in which the non-uniform deceleration of the Earth's rotation was constructed. A correct reading of the Arabic medieval observations shows that they do not contradict a secular constant decrease in the Earth's rotation rate of nearly -4.6 ⋅ 10-22 rad s-2. This value is in accordance with other similar ones derived from ancient eclipse records and from satellite tracking data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Brosche, P., S¨ undermann, J.: 1982, Tidal Friction and the Earth's Rotation II, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caussin de Perceval, A.-P.: 1804, 'Le Livre de la Grande Table Hakemite; Manuscrit appartenant à la Bibliothèque de l'Universit´ e de Leyde,etprêt´ e à l'Institut national par le Gouvernement Batave; traduction', Notices & Extraits des MSS., vol. 7,Paris, an XII, pp. 16-240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christodoulidis, D.C., Smith, D.E., Williamson, R.G., Klosko, S.M.: 1988, 'Observed tidal braking in the Earth/Moon/Sun System', J.Geophys.Res., 93(B6), 6216-6236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalmau, W.: 1993, 'Bestimmung des s¨ akularen Verhaltens der Erdrotation', Ver ¨ offentlichungen des Institutes f ¨ ur Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften, Fuat Sezgin (Ed.), Reihe A: Texte und Studien, Bd. 6.

  • Dalmau, W., Ruder, H., Schramm, M.: 1997, 'Non-tidal changes in the Earth's rotation rate: A.D. 829 to 1019', to be published 1997 in Astron.Astrophys.

  • Hartner, W.: 1970, Article: 'Al-Batt¯ an¯ý', Dictionary of Scientific Biography, C. C. Gillispie (ed.), Vol., Ch. Scribner's Sons, New York, pp. 507-516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, R.P., Trivedi, N.B.: 1990, 'Decade Fluctuations in the Rotation Rate of the Earth in the Last 200 Years', PAGEOPH 132(4).

  • Kennedy, E.S.: 1956, 'A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables', Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, N.S., Vol. 46,Part 2, pp. 123-177

    Google Scholar 

  • Nallino, C.A.: 1899-1907, 'Al-Batt¯ an¯ý: Opus Astronomicum. Ad fidem codicis escurialensis arabice editum Latine versum, Pubblicazioni del reale Osservatorio di Brera in Milano, No. 40,I 1903, II 1907 et III 1899.

  • Nallino, C.A.: 1944, 'Raccolta di scritti. Editi e inediti', Pubblicazioni dell' Istituto Per l'Oriente, Vol. 5, Astrologia-Astronomia Geografia, Roma.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newhall, XX, Standish Jr., E. M., Williams, J. G.: 1983, 'DE102: a numerically integrated ephemeris of the Moon and planets spanning forty-four centuries', Astron.Astrophys.125,150-167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton, R.R.: 1984, The Moon's acceleration and its physical origins-As deduced from general Lunar observations, Vol. 2,Baltimore.

  • Sabadini, R., Peltier, W.R.: 1981, 'Pleistocene deglaciation and the Earth's rotation: implications for mantle viscosity', Geophys.J.Roy.Astr.Soc.66,553-578.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, F. R., Morrison, L. V.: 1984, 'Long-term changes in the rotation of the Earth: 700 B.C. to A.D. 1980', Phil.Trans.Roy.Soc.Lond.,Ser.A313,47-70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, F.R., Said, S.S.: 1989, 'Non-tidal changes in the Earth's rate of rotation as deduced from medieval eclipse observations', Astron.Astrophys.215,181-189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, F.R., Morrison, L.V.: 1995, 'Long-term fluctuations in the Earth's rotation: 700 BC to AD 1990', Phil.Trans.Roy.Soc.Lond., A. 351,165-202. Toomer, G. J.: 1984, Ptolemy's Almagest, London.

  • Yoder, C.F., Williams, J.G., Dickey, J.O., Schutz, B.E., Eanes, R.J., Tapley, B.D.: 1983, 'Secular variation of Earth's gravitational harmonic J 2 coefficient from Lageos and nontidal acceleration of Earth's rotation', Nature 303,757-762.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Abteilungen: Theoretische Astrophysik und Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    W. Dalmau

Authors
  1. W. Dalmau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dalmau, W. Critical remarks on the use of medieval eclipse records for the determination of long-term changes in the Earth's rotation. Surveys in Geophysics 18, 213–223 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006588010109

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006588010109

Search

Navigation