Papers by Susanne M Hoffmann
This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Bab... more This paper discusses a hitherto unnoticed asterism embedded as a historiola in a group of Old Babylonian incantations against scorpions (dated ca. 1900–1500 BCE). This group of Akkadian magical texts contains references to a unique astral configuration, that of the crescent Moon in the tail of Scorpius in the autumn sky. Our discussion suggests that this rare asterism was used to determine the autumn equinox, and as such was crucial to the ancient Mesopotamian calendar and intercalation system.
An astronomical analysis of the data in the pseudo-Hipparchus palimpsest in the Codex Climaci Rescriptus
Journal for History of Astronomy, 2024
In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star C... more In 2022, Gysembergh et al. published a paper in JHA claiming ‘New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star Catalogue’. In this paper we challenge this hypothesis by stating that (a) we disagree with their astronomical dating and find inconsistencies by using the given numbers, and (b) the terminology and the data format used in the palimpsest do not match Hipparchus or anybody else. Therefore, the palimpsest does not prove anything about Hipparchus’s star catalogue nor did Hipparchus use rectangular constellation borders. Specifically, the constellation of Corona Borealis, typically depicted as a circle since Babylonian times, is not considered a rectangle by Hipparchus. Furthermore, a palimpsest that cannot be dated properly does not confirm the long-known relationship between Hipparchus and Ptolemy as the authors claim.
[academia.edu - for unknown reasons - exchanges the order of authors: this is a bug that I cannot fix]
Standing and Sitting Gods in MUL.APIN
Journal for Astronomical History and Heritage, 2024
In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric mark... more In 2018 Hoffmann and Krebernik proposed a new reading of the lines MUL.APIN I i 23 as rubric markers, implying that the “Standing and Sitting Gods of the Ekur” are terms referring to two groups of asterisms in the previous lines. Astronomically, this division refers to the ever-visible circle versus the rising and setting constellations in the path of Enlil. Based upon Horowitz’s suggestion that this is also a celestial representation of the presentation scene from Mesopotamian art (N.A.B.U. no.3, 2023), I re-analysed the astronomical meaning of the constellations in the Path of Enlil in MUL.APIN and found an agricultural calendar in the path of Enlil. This finding puts the indigenous Mesopotamian set of constellations in line with other indigenous astronomies that have been found by anthropological and cultural studies all over the world.
a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (20... more a note about the terminology of the sign and constellation Taurus in ADRT, confirming Steele (2018) in MAA
This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2... more This is a note about a detail in the first list of MUL.APIN, connected to Hoffmann & Krebernik (2023) and to Hoffmann (2024) in JAHH
Der Globusfreund/ Globe Studies, 2025
Three ancient globes have been completely preserved:
the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Far... more Three ancient globes have been completely preserved:
the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Farnese
Globe. Their chronological classification is uncertain.
This comparative study presents a method of reconstructing
the uranographies from the surviving texts (uranologies)
of Aratus, (Pseudo-)Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and
Ptolemy, and comparing them (a) with each other and (b)
with the depictions on the globes. The findings are that
the constellation figures cannot be considered individually,
tell different stories and have different cultures of
origin, and that the Mainz globe (despite its errors) shows
the most comprehensive of the three pictorial inventories
of the star-heavens.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht... more Was genau dachte sich Lacaille, als er dieses Sternbild 1756 erfunden hat? Leider hat er es nicht aufgeschrieben; wir können nur aus dem Kontext mutmaßen. Die Vorschläge reichen von der Uhr in seiner provisorischen Sternwarte in Kapstadt bis zur Idee Harrisons für den Longitude-Act (ohne eine konkrete der möglichen Uhren abzubilden). Wir stellen in diesem Aufsatz die Interpretationsmöglichkeiten zusammen.
Codices Manuscripti & Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So... more Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra ist einer der bedeutendsten Funde der Bronzezeit in Mitteleuropa. So klar auch das Bild definitiv astronomischen Inhalts ist und mithin von einem hohen Kenntnisstand der mitteldeutschen Kultur zeugt, so schwierig scheint die Auslegung von Zweck und genauem Inhalt des astronomischen Bildes. In Ermangelung von ähnlichen Funden aus Mitteleuropa werden daher astronomische Kenntnisse anderer Kulturen vergleichend herangezogen. Die hier vorgestellten Fakten zu frühen griechischen und mittelbabylonischen Quellen verwerfen die bisherige Interpretation der Scheibe als Darstellung einer Kalender-Schaltregel, gestehen ihr aber eine symbolische Form zur Vorhersage des jahreszeitlichen Wetters zu.
Codices Manuscripti et Impressi (Erg.), 2023
Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu se... more Das Kompendium MUL.APIN enthält insgesamt sieben Schaltregeln, damit der Mondkalender nicht zu sehr aus den (sonnengesteuerten) Jahreszeiten herausläuft. Die erste Regel ist am Anfang abgebrochen und wir diskutieren hier, was die richtige Ergänzung ist.
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial bodies, the Sun and Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar calendar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Enoch to Prophet Moses. The Solar calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish calendar returned to using a Solar calendar combined with the Lunar calendar, known as the Lunisolar calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calendar with the Metonic cycle that refers to the movement of the Sun and Moon. The authors argue that the influence of Greek civilization and adjustments to the difference between the Lunar and Solar years caused the changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar.
JIL: Journal of Islamic Law
This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewi... more This article analyzes changes in the reference system of the Jewish Calendar. Initially, the Jewish Calendar reference was based on the movement of the Sun. However, the calendar system used by the Jewish community worldwide now refers to two celestial objects, the Sun and the Moon. This study is literature research with a qualitative approach and uses the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah as primary sources. The authors found that the first reference system of the Jewish Calendar, which was based on the movement of the Sun (Solar), follows the description in the Book of Enoch and the Sefer Yetzirah. These two books explain the calendar system used by Prophet Idris to Prophet Moses. The Solar Calendar reference system was later replaced with the Lunar Calendar in the second century BCE. Six centuries later, the Jewish Calendar returned to using a Solar Calendar combined with the Lunar Calendar, known as the Lunisolar Calendar. The latest reference system is a mathematical calenda...
VizieR Online Data Catalog: AE Aur and iota Ori runaway stars RV curves (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
What do Deities Tell us about the Celestial Positioning System? (in MUL.APIN)
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press eBooks, Feb 2, 2023
This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalo... more This contribution is dedicated to the astronomical meaning of the so called "star catalogue" of the early astronomical compendium of MUL.APIN. After a careful re-reading of the text, the authors suggest an interpretation not as a "catalogue" but as an explanatory list. In some cases, this has led to new interpretations concerning the identification of certain celestial objects and the meaning of certain terms and divine names. Consequently, we propose that the deities associated with asterisms can be used to group the astronomical entities and thus help to unveil the frame of reference used in MUL.APIN, which is subdivided on a finer scale than previously realized. In the appendix, we present a tabular layout of the text of MUL.APIN and its translation.
The New Atlas of the Stars
VizieR Online Data Catalog: RV of 11 spectroscopic binaries (Heyne+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Sep 1, 2020
Astronomische Nachrichten, Jul 1, 2020
We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway st... more We present the results of our spectroscopic monitoring observations of the late O-type runaway stars AE Aur and ι Ori, carried out between September 2016 and May 2018 using the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena. For both stars, we obtained current radial velocity (RV) measurements with better precision than before. These results can be used for further advanced calculations of their space motion, needed to determine, for example, their place of origin in our Galaxy. In this paper, we describe the observations and the data reduction, as well as the analysis of all spectral data. We find a stable RV for AE Aur and confirm ι Ori as a double-lined spectroscopic binary and derive its current Keplerian orbital elements. K E Y W O R D S stars: individual AE Aur, ι Ori, techniques: radial velocities This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Astronomische Nachrichten, 2020
We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with t... more We present the results of our second radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaign, carried out with the Échelle spectrograph FLECHAS at the University Observatory Jena in the course of the Großschwabhausen binary survey between December 2016 and June 2018. The aim of this project is to obtain precise RV measurements for spectroscopic binary stars in order to redetermine, verify, improve, and constrain their Keplerian orbital solutions. In this paper, we describe the observations, data reduction, and analysis and present the results of this project. In total, we have taken 721 RV measurements of 11 stars and derived well-determined orbital solutions for nine systems (seven single-and two double-lined spectroscopic binaries) with periods in the range between 2 and 70 days. In addition, we could rule out the orbital solutions for the previously classified spectroscopic binary systems HIP 107136 and HIP 107533, whose radial velocities are found to be constant on the km s −1-level over a span of time of more than 500 days. In the case of HIP 2225, a significant change of its systematic velocity is detected between our individual observing epochs, indicating the presence of an additional companion, which is located on a wider orbit in this system.
The Astrophysical Journal, Aug 20, 2020
We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in ... more We present optical-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of Gaia 18dvy, located in the Cygnus OB3 association at a distance of 1.88 kpc. The object was noted by the Gaia alerts system when its lightcurve exhibited a 4 mag rise in 2018-2019. The brightening was also observable at mid-infared wavelengths. The infrared colors of Gaia 18dvy became bluer as the outburst progressed. Its optical and near-infrared spectroscopic characteristics in the outburst phase are consistent with those of bona fide FU Orionis-type young eruptive stars. The progenitor of the outburst is probably a low-mass K-type star with an optical extinction of ∼3 mag. A radiative transfer modeling of the circumstellar structure, based on the quiescent spectral energy distribution, indicates a disk with a mass of 4×10 −3 M ⊙. Our simple accretion disk modeling implies that the accretion rate had been exponentially increasing for Szegedi-Elek et al. more than 3 years until mid-2019, when it reached a peak value of 6.9 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr −1. In many respects, Gaia 18dvy is similar to the FU Ori-type object HBC 722.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: 308 Hipparcos stars EW Li and spectra (Bischoff+, 2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog, Oct 1, 2020
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Papers by Susanne M Hoffmann
[academia.edu - for unknown reasons - exchanges the order of authors: this is a bug that I cannot fix]
the Mainz Globe, the Kugel Globe and the Farnese
Globe. Their chronological classification is uncertain.
This comparative study presents a method of reconstructing
the uranographies from the surviving texts (uranologies)
of Aratus, (Pseudo-)Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and
Ptolemy, and comparing them (a) with each other and (b)
with the depictions on the globes. The findings are that
the constellation figures cannot be considered individually,
tell different stories and have different cultures of
origin, and that the Mainz globe (despite its errors) shows
the most comprehensive of the three pictorial inventories
of the star-heavens.