Indian astronomy

Indian astronomy is a diverse South Asian tradition of mathematical and observational study of celestial bodies. It developed distinctive systems for calculating planetary positions, eclipses, and calendars.

Siddhānta: A Sanskrit term for an established astronomical treatise or system of calculation. Siddhāntas organized the rules and parameters used in Indian planetary astronomy.
Vedanga Jyotisha: An early Sanskrit text prescribing astronomical rules for determining ritual times and calendars. It preserves an early layer of Indian calendrical astronomy, before classical planetary models.
Aryabhata: An Indian mathematician and astronomer who composed the Āryabhaṭīya around 499 CE. His work set out influential methods for planetary calculation and explained eclipses mathematically.
Ptolemaic astronomy: An Earth-centered mathematical model of celestial motion developed by Claudius Ptolemy. It offers a distinct framework for comparing Indian planetary models and computational choices.
Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics: A South Indian scholarly tradition known for advanced mathematics and astronomical work from the fourteenth century onward. Its scholars developed sophisticated series and computational methods within the Indian astronomical tradition.
Āryabhaṭīya: A Sanskrit astronomical and mathematical work composed by Āryabhata around 499 CE. Its concise rules calculate planetary positions, eclipses, and other astronomical quantities.
Yavanajataka: A Sanskrit work on horoscopy associated with the transmission of Greek astrological knowledge to India. Its terminology and methods illustrate early exchanges between Greek and Indian astral sciences.
Varahamihira: A sixth-century Indian scholar whose works covered astronomy, astrology, and natural knowledge. His Pañcasiddhāntikā summarizes five astronomical systems known in his time.
Copernican heliocentrism: The model that places the Sun near the center of the planetary system and Earth in motion. It contrasts with the geocentric frameworks used by most classical Indian astronomical texts.
Madhava of Sangamagrama: A fourteenth-century Indian mathematician associated with the Kerala school. His work on infinite series advanced mathematical techniques relevant to astronomical calculation.

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