DISTANCE OF SUN AND MOON SOLVED

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends

When asked about this subject Srila Shridhar Maharaj said that in terms of distance the moon may indeed be closer to the earth than the sun. But in terms of usefullness, the sun is closer. In other words, the earth depends more on light and energy from the sun to sustain itself than it does the moon. So relationshipwise - the sun is closer.

Everything can be reconciled!

[Dervish]

Do you know when and where Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj said this? Do you have a quotation? I believe you, and I'd be very interested to see what he said exactly /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Kulapavana]

I like that angle of reasoning and it is certainly a valid point, but there is a lot more to this issue.

 

the distance between moon and earth as described in the Vedas refers to approximate difference between the lunar and earthly plane of existence given for the sake of comparison. it is NOT the linear distance (which btw changes as the lunar orbit is an elipse) between these two planets.

 

there is even a "distance" given to the end of our universe, yet the same shastra will tell you that you will not be able to reach it even if you travel with the speed of mind. this "distance", again, is NOT linear. many material scientists think that space is not at all linear, but curves on itself, forming an endless loop.

 

at one time Sadaputa dasa presented a lot of nice thoughts on this subject, based on very solid reasoning. you can find it in his Vedic Cosmology book.

[cRimAl]

Thinking about stuff like that seriousely makes my head hurt. I really wonder if we are even supposed to ask questions like these already. We're so small and insignificant, we don't even know yet how to live on this planet with the upmost respect for every living creature on it nor do we know how to respect our own planet and still we're trying to understand these issues that are so beyond our conception.

I believe that we will get all the answers in due time but imho we still have a very long way to go.

[Kulapavana]

while not for everybody, some devotees are very interested in this kind of stuff and it inspires them to study the Vedas more and develop a good understanding of both spiritual and material topics. others have absolutely no interest in this subject. both are valid approaches for devotees.

 

the understanding of Vedic concept of space helps one comprehend not only stories presented in the Vedas (as they relate to the worlds of humans, demigods and demons) but Lord Krishna's pastimes as well.

[cRimAl]

I understand and I'm definitely not condemning that interest in any way...just wondering if we can ever truly 'comprehend' it.

But I'm definitely not pointing fingers...one of my best friends has been a 'serious' UFO investigator for over the past fifteen years and I also have a 'questioning' personality which is what brought me to KC in the first place but when I got into KC I started realizing that asking too many questions could be very bad for me as it sometimes made me get lost in all different theories.

And also, I haad this feeling that you risk getting into more arguments with other people when you are really into all of this searching for answers.

I think for me it's better to just stick with chanting and serving.

[Kulapavana]

through chanting and humble service, Krishna gives us the understanding and realization we need. some need to understand certain material topics before their faith can grow strong, but that is only possible through devotional service.

 

and as to full comprehension: even most demigods do not fully comprehend this Universe, but we can comprehend enough to fully satisfy our desire for knowledge /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Govindaram]

 

forget about the moon and sun,

 

I have stars flying around my head. Haribol!

 

Hoping to understand all this more 1 day.

[gHari]

http://geocities.com/caitanyamahaprabhu/moonthing7.htm

[Govindaram]

 

SB 8.10.38 Purport (excerpt)

Apparently, therefore, as stated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam, the sun, not the moon, is the planet nearest the earth. We have already discussed this point in many places. The sun is first, then the moon, then Mars, Jupiter and so on. The sun is supposed to be 93,000,000 miles above the surface of the earth, and from the Srimad-Bhagavatam we understand that the moon is 1,600,000 miles above the sun. Therefore the distance between the earth and the moon would be about 95,000,000 miles. So if a space capsule were traveling at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour, how could it reach the moon in four days? At that speed, going to the moon would take at least seven months. That a space capsule on a moon excursion has reached the moon in four days is therefore impossible.

 

[Kulapavana]

the linear distance to both Moon and Sun can be measured by sending a radio wave in their direction and registering the time it takes for it to come back after being deflected (just like echo) off their surface. Bhagavatam is talking about elevation of the lunar and solar planes of existence above Bhu-Mandala.

[gHari]

Whichever devotees near Prabhupada who placed the various ideas in his head should have since learned humility. They were talking as though they knew something, when in fact they were simply conditioned souls arrogantly spewing 'facts' as facts. This hypothesis accepts the modern distance to the sun and from that deduces the moon position, but this is not reasonable since if we do not accept the modern moon figure why accept the sun distance or velocithy numbers? And mathematically one would expect that the alleged error that measures the distance to the moon would also affect the calculation of velocity proportionately.

 

My guess is that Prabhupada distributed these various speculations to ultimately shame and humble these advisers, some of whom are on record in the Vedabase as proposing the various infamous moon hypotheses.

 

After reading all the moon stuff in the Vedabase, I wrote this article to summarize what happened way back when: http://geocities.com/caitanyamahaprabhu/moonthing1.htm

[Govindaram]

 

From your site:

 

"In Section 4.b we show that if the plane of BhU-maNDala corresponds to the plane of the ecliptic, then it indeed makes sense to say that the moon is higher than the sun relative to BhU-maNDala. This does not mean that the moon is farther from the earth globe than the sun."

--

 

So let me think then does this mean that if you want to travel to the moon or sun, you have to travel on the path of the Bhu-mandala, and not just go like in a 'bent' line?

 

Also the possibilty of Mars poddle landing on Mars would be impossible since scientists don't know the vedic way..right?

 

 

 

 

[gHari]

Essentially if you join points A and B and then join points A and C you will find that one line is longer even though it is not as high above the plane.

 

I still don't understand Vedic Astronomy despite all the reading. A good lay book, likely in any library is "Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy" by Richard L. Thompson.