Italy

Researchers in Italy have recently found detailed maps of the night sky dating back to more than 2,400 years ago. 

According to a study published in the journal Astronomical Notes on November 22, researchers excavated a map carved into a circular white stone at an ancient fort in northeastern Italy. 

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The map is about the size of a car tire and consists of 29 engravings. According to statistical analysis, human certainly created their engravings. Italy's National Institute of Astrophysics said in a news release that all but one of the sculptures matches the stars in the night sky. 

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The researchers said the map was "very complete, with all bright stars represented," including the constellations Orion, Scorpius and the Pleiades.

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However, one engraving did not match an existing star and was extremely difficult to explain. "One interesting possibility is that there was a bright star at the location that produced the supernova or that the supernova likely failed and left behind a black hole as a remnant," the researchers said.

People might have used the map to track seasonal changes before beginning agricultural activities. The study says the map dates from 1800 BC to 400 BC. It is one of the earliest depictions of the night sky ever found.

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However, the study also noted that one does not need advanced knowledge of space to create such maps. "A measurement unit of angular distance, such as the width of a finger or a simple ruler, and basic counting skills are sufficient," the researchers said.

About 2,200 years ago, Greek astronomer Hipparchus established a way to understand the motion of stars. He is famous for creating the first known star catalogue. Scientists still use his technique to map objects in the sky. He imagined Earth at the centre of a celestial sphere, and he used a coordinate system similar to latitude and longitude to measure the precise position of the stars. 

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However, historians don't accurately know how Hipparchus measured the stars. According to National Geographic, they assume he may have used an armillary sphere, a mechanical device with rotating rings depicting the various parts of the celestial sphere.

The oldest evidence for stellar coordinates from Hipparchus was found in an 8th-century AD Latin translation of a poem about the constellations. These coordinates were included as a kind of annotation in the poem.

(With inputs from agencies)