Understanding and Measurement of the Perigee(Apogee)Precession of the Sun in Ancient Greece,India,Arabia and China
The correction algorithm for the inhomogeneity of the solar apparent motion is a crucial aspect of ancient mathematical astronomy.Its corrective efficacy is directly influenced by the comprehension and measurement of the precession of the perigee(apogee)position of the sun.Building upon prior research,this paper meticulously outlines the understanding and measurement of the celestial longitude and its precession in various civilizations concerning the perigee(apogee)position of the solar apparent motion.The results indicate that in the early stages,various civilizations did not explicitly reference the concept of the perigee(apogee)position or its precession.Instead,they focused solely on measuring its celestial longitude.Through the exchange of relevant knowledge among different civilizations,an awareness of the phenomenon of precession in the perigee(apogee)position gradually emerged.Ancient Greece developed a geometric model to ascertain the longitude of the solar apogee;however,the precession of the apogee remained undiscovered.The precession value of the apogee in ancient Indian astronomy is exceptionally small,with a maximum value of only0.12".Ancient Arabia provides two different values,accounting for or excluding changes in the celestial longitude coordinate system caused by precession.It was not until the dissemination of Western astronomy during the Ming and Qing dynasties that traditional China recognized the precession phenomenon of the sun's perigee(apogee)position.
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