Ramanujan Auditorium

A star in flames: Comet or Fireball? A review of the Tamil classic Purananuru 229

public talk by TV Venkateswaran

*Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali. +Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bengaluru.

This talk discusses the ongoing work of reinterpreting a Sangam Age Tamil classic, Puranānūru 229 (also known as Puram 229). The verse refers to the sighting of an unusual burning object in the sky, which the composer of the verse believes prophesied the death of the 2nd Century Cheran king Yanaikatsey Mantaran Cheral Irumborai. The poem recounts the night sky in impressive detail, which we believe was a record of the changes in stellar location during the event in the sky. The 'fireball' mentioned by the verse's composer is often understood as a comet, namely Halley's Comet in 141 CE. However, based on internal evidence, we believe that it was a transient event, most likely a fireball/superbolide. The verse is significant in the history of Indian astronomy because it demonstrates the practice of using star locations to determine the passage of time at night.