Research published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage has utilized advanced Bayesian statistical modeling to re-evaluate the planetary tables found in Varahamihira’s 5th-century treatise, the Pancha-Siddhantika. The computational analysis demonstrates that the algorithms used by ancient Indian astronomers to predict solar eclipses were accurate to within minutes of modern retrocalculations.
The study highlights how the 'Surya-Siddhanta' section of the text employed sophisticated trigonometric functions and mean-motion constants that were far ahead of contemporary models in other civilizations. This research provides a new framework for understanding the observational precision of early Indian science and its impact on medieval global astronomy.