Posted on 06/05/2006 4:27:51 PM PDT by blam
Native Americans recorded supernova explosion
16:45 05 June 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Zeeya Merali and Kelly Young
The Arizonan petroglyph may depict the supernova of 1006 AD - the star symbol is on the right and the constellation Scorpius on the left (Image: John Barentine, Apache Point Observatory)
This double-sun petroglyph at Chaco Canyon National Monument in New Mexico may depict the supernova of 4 July 1054 (Image: Mark Lansing)
There are numerous examples of rock art in the Chaco Canyon National Monument depicting celestial objects (Image: Mark Lansing)
Prehistoric Native Americans may have carved a record of a supernova explosion that appeared in the skies a millennium ago into a rock in Arizona, US.
John Barentine, an astronomer at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, came across the carving while hiking in the White Tank Mountain Regional Park in Arizona.
It depicts a scorpion and an eight-pointed star. "I had just been reading about the supernova of AD 1006 and I knew it appeared in the constellation Scorpius, so the connection flashed into my mind."
To make his case, Barentine and his colleague Gilbert A. Esquerdo, at the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, used planetarium software to recreate the sky as it would have appeared in Arizona during the supernova's appearance and overlaid it with photographs from the site.
The supernova would have been brighter than a planet, and both it and the constellation - which is shaped like a scorpion - would have appeared just above the edge of the rock, in the same orientation depicted in the carvings. Native Americans populated the region during that period and often recorded objects thought to have magical powers, says Barentine.
"It's by no means conclusive, but I think it's strong circumstantial evidence that the art depicts the supernova," says Barentine. He announced his theory at the American Astronomical Society Meeting in Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, on Monday.
Star watchers
The supernova was recorded by star watchers in Asia, the Middle-East and Europe. But until now, nobody thought that prehistoric Native Americans followed events in the sky. "I don't think enough credit has been given to the ancient Native Americans in the past, but that might change now," Barentine told New Scientist.
If the art does represent the supernova, it would provide a useful date to help work out the age of neighbouring rock carvings, which are difficult to assess by other methods, says Barentine.
But the White Tank Mountain is not the first suspected supernova petroglyph in North America. A petroglyph at Chaco Canyon National Monument in New Mexico may depict the supernova of 4 July 1054.
Another petroglyph at White Tank may also be a recording of the AD 1054 supernova. White Tank Mountain park ranger Mark Lansing says that petroglyph looks like colliding suns and is nestled in a back canyon along with pictures of other celestial objects.
"The AD 1006 petroglyph is a little more abstract," Lansing says of Barentine's find. "I'd seen his petroglyph but not really related it to the sky for 1006. He does show what the sky may have looked like in AD 1006."
Maybe both sides are right! Indians DID depict the super nova, but only since the aliens told them about the event.
LOL
I knew I was on the path of the old trail....stopped...carved (with stone cutters tools)1786 on it with particular initials attached. Someday, someone will notice it and go nuts!!
We scared the hell out of the natives when we knew a solar eclipse would occur!!
Egyptian mummies of the ruling class contain chemical residue of cocaine and tobacco, neither of which were crops raised in the old world but had to be imported from the new world. Besides that, by 1000 AD Euros were wandering all over the new world.
Maybe they devolved, but not much. BTW, the winning word in the national spelling bee was Ursprache, which we are now allowed to use as if it were an English word rather than German.
So I'm NOT the only one on the planet that saw Gibson's twisted Passion script as nonsense.......
I think the runaway best "Jesus" movie is still Franco Zeffirelli's 1977, "Jesus of Nazareth" .
It follows the bible faithfully, except for the MM=whore bit.
The actors are superbly cast, the scenes and photography are museum paintings,,,The emphasis is on Jesus's mission = His teachings. Look at this cast!
Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Powell .... Jesus Christ
Anne Bancroft .... Mary Magdalene
Ernest Borgnine .... The Centurion
Claudia Cardinale .... The Adulteress
Valentina Cortese .... Herodias
James Farentino .... Simon Peter
James Earl Jones .... Balthazar
Stacy Keach .... Barabbas
Tony Lo Bianco .... Quintilius
James Mason .... Joseph of Arimathea
Ian McShane .... Judas Iscariot
Laurence Olivier .... Nicodemus
Donald Pleasence .... Melchior
Christopher Plummer .... Herod Antipas
Anthony Quinn .... Caiaphas
(more)
Robert Powell is perfect in the role - and his face is Jesus... This movie is a watch again and again one. Not many of them.
Yes, I wasn't trying to hide the time-exposure factor but perhaps should have made a specific statement.
Trouble is, that image doesn't look all that different from the night sky in rural areas when I was a kid.
And I haven't seen any image of that region of the sky that looks like a scorpion.
And (again see my post 37 and I have more) the myths and names are too similar in my view for anything by contact or continuity.
And similar myths, word stucture and gender (female, all scorpion-sky-deieties I've ever read about are female except one; two are female human with scorpion tails)
not "by"
Wikipedia is made out of whatever people put into it. I wish I had time to investigate and post on this thread. I'll ping Gengis again, maybe he'll have time. The history you're depending on is "fluid".
The same counts for this forum LOL
Iif I go searching in archeological books, I will find out other dates? I know Egyptian language is dated to be very old, at least 5000 years.
Unfortunately many of my books are packed at the moment. Later on tonight I'll see what I can dig up.
bump for later read
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