Mayank Vahia
I am an astronomer who spent his initial years making space telescopes for high energy astrophysics. I am now more interested in origin and growth of astronomy, science and ancient civilisations.
Address: India
Address: India
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Papers by Mayank Vahia
timeline associated with the Harappan civilization and also, with genetic admixing that
recent genetic mapping data reveal. Our results may contribute to providing a timeline for the movement of prehistoric people. Most significantly, our results appear to suggest that the Ancestral Austro-Asiatic population entered the subcontinent through an easterly direction, potentially resolving a hitherto-contentious issue.
timeline associated with the Harappan civilization and also, with genetic admixing that
recent genetic mapping data reveal. Our results may contribute to providing a timeline for the movement of prehistoric people. Most significantly, our results appear to suggest that the Ancestral Austro-Asiatic population entered the subcontinent through an easterly direction, potentially resolving a hitherto-contentious issue.
Hrishikesh Joglekar1, M N Vahia2, Aniket Sule3
1. 14 Dhus Wadi, Lakshmi Niketan, Thakurdwar, Mumbai 400 002, INDIA
2. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400 005, INDIA (vahia @
tifr.res.in)
3. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, Potsdam, 14482, Germany
Summary:
Mankind has been curious about heavens above and the heavenly bodies since a
very long time. The most common form of early expression of this date back to
almost 20,000 years is in the form of cave paintings and stone etchings. The rock
carving found in Burzahama region in Kashmir, India, depicts what is
conventionally believed to be a hunting scene along with two very bright objects
in the sky. The two objects in this scene have been interpreted as either the Sun
and the Moon or two bright stars in close proximity. Here we investigate the
possibility that this could be a record of a guest star or supernova in the sky. We
search the supernova catalogue to look for a possible supernova that could have
had the brightness comparable to that of Sun or Moon and close to ecliptic
between 2000 BC and 10,000 BC since the etching is believed to have been done
prior to 2000 BC and be visible from Burzahama. Only one Supernova remnant
HB9 satisfies this condition. In addition to being dated to 4,600 BC, its apparent
magnitude at peak must have been close to that of the Moon. We then plot this
object in the sky along with the rest of the scene and show that the whole hunting
scene along with the Moon and the Supernova fits quite well into the pattern of
stars in the sky. Thus we suggest that this is probably the oldest record of
supernova and sky chart found in the Indian Subcontinent.