Quasi- Decadal Phenomenon of Mercury Planet and its Ancestry Manifestations of Emergence in ancient Egyptian Astronomy

By-Dr. Ayman Waziry

Prof. of Egyptology and Archaeology, Vice Chairman of Board of Directors of Egyptian Archaeological Association

 The ancient Egyptians believed that the sky was divided into northern and southern hemispheres separated by a winding channel; each section contained an astral entity which has unique cosmic qualities that distinguish them from the other stars.

These astral entities are located in the northern hemisphere, some of them are Polar while others are Non-Polar and in accordance to the proximity and distance from the center of the northern hemisphere. Examples of these astral entities in the northern sky are a group of immortal stars known as Polar stars, while the constellation located in the southern hemisphere is a set of Non-Polar stars. The ancient Egyptians tried carefully to identify the secrets of his surrounding universe and the beginnings of creation, as well as the nature of heaven and the celestial bodies that move in it through his daily observations of what surrounds him from natural and cosmic phenomena.

 The sky was the place of stars and planets, where the observer watched boundless heavens including bright spots of variable brightness known as stars. The renowned stars appear on the horizon after sunset then the less illustrious appear with darkness; moving from the east to the west, as is the moon at night and the sun by day. During the day stars are not shown because the sunlight prevents its vision.

The stars are shining objects that the ancient Egyptians saw in the sky at night, and believed that these stars are descend from a sky dome at night and during the day they are hang from it by chains or ropes. Noticeably, the end of the chain was free and through which the stars could appear during the day and disappear in the sky (Nwt), while being lowered at night and brighten the darkness of night. These stars were classified according to their proximity to the Northern pole and were divided into two groups. The nearest stars to the North Pole are classified as polar stars that never set on the horizon and keep rotating around the North Pole every night of the year.

While the distant stars, comparatively, of the pole are classified as non-polar stars that rise and set on the horizon every night, permitting their appearance for short intervals of the night. The ancient Egyptians believed that the group of stars that are distanced from the North Pole including a series of Non-Polar stars and moving planets which consists of five holy stars/planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter , Saturn) .

These are a group of five rotating planets; Venus and Mercury, which the ancient Egyptians named “the morning and evening stars”, whilst Mars was called the “Red Hur”, Jupiter the “sparkling star”, and finally Saturn named the “Bull Hur”. The ancient Egyptians knew the Ursa Major constellations .They considered it as the most important feature of the northern hemisphere, which consists of the seven brightest stars. Whilst the ancient Egyptians named stars in the southern hemisphere as “a set of moving stars that do not know weary”.

They are a group of stars that are distanced from the North Pole including a series of Non-Polar stars and moving planets. The five holy stars/planets (Mercury; Venus; Mars; Jupiter; Saturn). These are a group of five rotating planets. These five stars appeared since the pre-dynastic age, specifically at the era of “Naqada II” as seen on the “Gerzeh Palette”. In the later eras played an important role in ancient Egyptian social concepts and religious beliefs, especially during the Old Kingdom up to the end of Greek and Roman eras.

  To sum up, the knowledge of ancient Egyptians for these planets or moving stars dating back to the era of Naqada II about 3500 BC or about  5516 years of our current-history.  This phenomenon is not rare, as mentioned, but occurring as “Quasi- Decadal Phenomenon” or “Quasi-Decimal”, so that it is a frequent phenomenon between 13 to 14 times per-century. This crossing is happening in the month of May and also in the month of November. Noticeably, the astronomical crossing of Mercury in the month of May is happens periodically of approximately 10 or 13 or 33 years. Whilst, the astronomical crossing of Mercury in the month of November is happens periodically of approximately 7 or 10 or 13 or 33 years, so this is called ” Quasi- Decadal Phenomenon of Mercury Planet” or ” “Quasi-Decimal”.

The Orbit Distance of Mercury is about 57,909,227 km. At the end there are Thirteen times a century Mercury can be observed from the Earth passing across the face of the Sun in an event called “A Transit” , the next transit will occur on the 9th May 2016.