In a remarkable discovery, astronomers have unearthed what could be the oldest known reference to a total solar eclipse, embedded within the ancient Hindu text, the Rig Veda. This revelation places the eclipse approximately 6,000 years ago, predating previous records by millennia.

The Rig Veda, a sacred compilation of hymns and philosophical discourses from around 1500 B.C., has long been recognized for its rich historical and astronomical references. Traditionally, these references have been used to track celestial events like the position of the vernal equinox. By studying these texts, astronomers can pinpoint historical astronomical phenomena due to Earth’s axial precession—a gradual wobble that shifts the positions of celestial events over millennia.

In particular, the Rig Veda describes the vernal equinox’s location shifting from Orion around 4500 B.C. to the Pleiades around 2230 B.C., indicating that some of the text’s celestial records predate its compilation. Recent research by Mayank Vahia from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and Mitsuru Soma from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has now identified references that likely describe a total solar eclipse.

Their analysis, published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, highlights passages that describe the sun being “pierced” by darkness and gloom, with “magic arts” of the sun vanishing—imagery fitting for an eclipse. Importantly, these descriptions precede the well-known Hindu mythological story of Rahu and Ketu, suggesting they were documented before this mythos emerged.

Further examination of the Rig Veda’s astronomical references narrowed down the eclipse to a period when the vernal equinox was in Orion, occurring just days before an autumnal equinox. The analysis identified two potential dates for the eclipse: October 22, 4202 B.C., and October 19, 3811 B.C. These dates surpass previous records, including a clay tablet from Syria dated to around 1375 B.C. or 1223 B.C. and a rock carving in Ireland from approximately 3340 B.C.

“We propose that the eclipse recorded in the Rig Veda refers to observations made of an eclipse around 4000 BC. By analyzing the description, we propose that the eclipse was the one that occurred in 4202 BC or else in 3811 BC. We propose that it was observed in Central Asia. To our knowledge, this is one of the oldest known references to a specific total solar eclipse mentioned in the historical literature,” the authors said in their study.

This discovery not only pushes back the timeline of recorded astronomical events but also offers a fascinating glimpse into ancient astronomical knowledge and its transmission through sacred texts.

In a pioneering advancement in electronics, scientists at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, India, have unveiled a revolutionary transistor that operates using single molecules controlled by mechanical forces. This innovative approach could lead to significant improvements in quantum information processing, ultra-compact electronics, and advanced sensing applications.

The research team, led by Dr. Atindra Nath Pal and Biswajit Pabi, has developed a transistor using a technique known as the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ). Instead of relying on traditional electrical signals, this novel transistor uses mechanical forces to control the flow of electricity. The process involves breaking a macroscopic metal wire with a piezoelectric stack to create an extremely precise sub-nanometer gap, into which a single molecule, ferrocene, is inserted.

Ferrocene, composed of an iron atom sandwiched between two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings, exhibits unique electrical properties when subjected to mechanical manipulation. The researchers discovered that the orientation of the ferrocene molecules between silver electrodes significantly impacts the transistor’s performance. Depending on how the molecules are aligned, the device can either enhance or reduce electrical conductivity, highlighting the crucial role of molecular geometry in designing these advanced transistors.

Further experiments involving gold electrodes and ferrocene at room temperature revealed a notable reduction in resistance. The measured resistance was approximately 12.9 kΩ, which is about five times lower than the quantum resistance but much less than the typical resistance of a molecular junction, which usually hovers around 1 MΩ. This reduction suggests the potential for creating low-power molecular devices with impressive efficiency.

These findings represent a major leap forward in the development of more sustainable and high-performance electronic devices. By harnessing mechanical forces to control electron transport at the molecular level, this new technology opens up possibilities for greener electronics, lower power consumption, and enhanced functionality in quantum computing and sensing technologies. The implications of this research could reshape the future of electronic device design and application.

A groundbreaking study from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has unveiled the first in-situ elemental analysis of lunar soil from the Moon’s Southern Polar region. Published in the prestigious journal Nature, the research marks a significant milestone in lunar science and space exploration.

The study, based on data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan rover of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, provides new insights into the composition of lunar regolith at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site, known as Shiv Shakti Point. This analysis supports the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis, which suggests that the Moon’s primordial crust was formed through the flotation of lighter anorthite plagioclase. However, the study also reveals an unexpected abundance of magnesium-rich minerals, indicating contributions from deeper lunar layers ejected during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram Lander made its historic landing on August 23, 2023, at 18:04 IST, at coordinates 69.37 degrees South latitude and 32.35 degrees East longitude. Over the subsequent ten days, the Pragyan rover traversed approximately 103 meters from the landing site, conducting 23 measurements within a 50-meter radius. These measurements show a remarkable uniformity in the lunar regolith’s elemental composition, which could provide valuable ground truth for future remote sensing missions.

The APXS, developed by PRL, employs advanced techniques such as X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Particle Induced X-ray Emission to measure the elemental makeup of the lunar soil. By irradiating the lunar surface with a Cm-244 source, the APXS detected and quantified major elements like silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), as well as minor elements including manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and sulfur (S).

The data collected by the APXS not only enhances our understanding of the Moon’s geological history but also sets a new benchmark for analyzing lunar soil composition. This advancement underscores India’s growing capabilities in space exploration and lunar research.

The widely accepted Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis posits that the Moon initially existed as a vast ocean of molten magma. As this magma cooled, heavier minerals like olivine and pyroxene sank to form the Moon’s inner layers, while lighter minerals such as plagioclase floated and solidified into the Moon’s outer crust. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) data revealing a dominant presence of plagioclase anorthosite (FAN) in the lunar soil supports this hypothesis. However, the detection of additional magnesium-rich materials indicates that the lunar soil at Shiv Shakti Point has been mixed with substances from deeper layers of the Moon.