Cross Correlating Recorded History Surrounding the New Testament Time Period with Exactly Dated Astronomical Events

Statement of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)

Created 5942_[_{v2016-12-14-21:32}_]01 11 2039 [2023-05-02] – The unidentified solar eclipse suggested by the engraving on Assurnasirpal II’s stele.

Is the Stele Below Exactly Dated

In Terms of a Rare Solar Eclipse

Visible From Nimrod-Kalhu-Asshur

Prior to the Last Pole Shift?

Adding considerations to an item within my astronomy-file

An annular or partial Solar Eclipse as seen from the pre 699/668’BCE pole shift horizon at Nimrod-Kalhu-Asshur, Iran. That is, from ~11º S ~62º W…

At the time of the beginning of the reign of “Ashurnasirpal II, King of Assyria (884-859 BC)” as suggested by this engraving, showing what appears to be a partial or annular solar eclipse below the Pleiades, aka. the Seven Stars:

But if that is a correct interpretation of the above depicted engraving, then which eclipse is it?

Could it be the April 11, 890 BCE sunset event, as initially suggested by my Starry Night astronomy software, an apparent total solar eclipse between 19:11:59-19:30:26… (more below!)

Comments: No solar eclipse lasts for more than about 5 minutes. The reason my Starry Night Pro 8 astronomy seems to indicate a 12 min 27 sec solar eclipse is the consequence of having artificially enlarged the Moon. Indeed, when this artifact is corrected, I do not see even a partial solar eclipse at this time and place.

Nonetheless, per astropixels.com there was indeed an annular solar eclipse visible from Earth at this time.

Where is/are the error(s)?:

Am I reading too much into the above inscription?
Is this another mismatch between an archeological record (the inscription above) and between the real time event (as indicated by my Starry Night Pro 8 software?)
Are my pre pole shift coordinates for the solar eclipse shadow in error (cf. the global map to your right)?
Is the delta-T value used by said software in need of correction? As possibly suggested by the Apr 11, 890 BCE solar eclipse?
Other…

Is the stele below exactly dated in terms of a rare solar eclipse visible from Nimrod-Kalhu-Asshur prior to the last pole shift?

The coordinate system of Earth prior to the 699/698 pole shift:

Based upon this map, the pre-699 BCE location of Nimrod-Kalhu-Asshur was located at ~11º S ~62º W.

I found the below Starry Night Pro 8 apparent total solar eclipse dated 890 BCE Apr 11, at 16:17. As upon the stele the Pleiades are located adjacent to (only 8 degrees) above and to the right of the apparently eclipsed Sun at the 19:13 o’clock sunset.

However, on closer inspection and after correcting the Moon image, the angular separation between the Sun and the Moon is 57 minutes, not quite 1 degree, and per the same software there was in fact no eclipse at all as viewed from anywhere close to 11 S 62 W…!

(Please cf. my Comments in the column to the left!):

Out of the 22 listed solar eclipses listed below, within 50± years of 884 BCE, the conventionally presumed beginning year of the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, I find only the above four eclipses being reasonably close to the Pleiades, while also reasonably close to the 11S 62W pre pole shift location of Nimrod-Kalhu-Asshur in Iran [which coordinates are currently placed within western Brazil, S. America]. Of these four, only the first two from the left agree with the Pleiades being visible above the eclipsing Sun and Moon. And, if the -0889 map is correctly displaying the eclipse event, then the 918 BCE eclipse is the only that agrees.

Angular separation between Solar eclipses potentially visible from 11S 62W, and between the Pleiades, in the 50+ years before and after 884 BCE and the beginning of the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (as determined using Starry Night Pro 8 software):

1. 834 Apr 23, 15:58; Pleiades 4.5 deg angular separation below the Sun and the Moon

2. 835 Oct 27, 13:50; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

3. 836 Nov 7, 8:36; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

4. 846 Jun 3, 10:44; Pleiades 42 degrees angular separation

5. 853 Apr 21, 16:43; Pleiades 4.5 deg below the Sun and the Moon

6. 856 Jun 23, 15:35; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

7. 857 Jan 9, 15:47; Pleiades 98 deg angular separation

8. 861 Sep 15, 17:12; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

9. 875 Dec 17, 11:04; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

10. 878 Mar 1, 06:15; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

11. 878 Aug 24, 11:36; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

12. 879 Mar 12, 16:53; Pleiades 38 deg angular separation below-left

13. 883 Nov 17, 14:57; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

14. 886 Jan 29, 7:22; Pleiades not visibile - below horizon

15. 886 Jul 24, 14:59; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

16. 890 Apr 12, 16:17; Pleiades 8 deg angular separation above right relative to the setting Sun and the Moon, which pair had an angular separation of only 57', but NO TRUE ECLIPSE!

17. 890 Oct 6, 06:12; Pleiades 170 deg angular separation

18. 901 May 13, 16:16; Pleiades 23 degrees angular separation

19. 918 Apr 21, 8:29; Pleiades 4 deg 7' angular separation above-left relative to the rising Sun and the Moon

20. 918 Oct 15, 11:41; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

21. 932 Jul 22, 14:10; Pleiades not visible - below horizon

22. 933 Feb 7, 16:24; Pleiades 73 degrees angular separation

Conclusions thus far:

I find the two most likely eclipse contenders for marking the beginning of the reign of Ashurnasirpal II being items #16 and #19 in the list above. That is, both are reasonably close to, and below, the Pleiades, while being potentially seen as a partial solar eclipse from 11S 62W. That is, considering the uncertainty of delta-T values derived from records without correction for the one subsequent pole shift in 699/698 BCE.

Back to my main astronomy file…

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