A project utilizing advanced AI algorithms has successfully reconstructed the fragmentary solar and lunar tables from the 11th-century Siddhanta Sundara manuscript. The computational analysis found that the medieval Indian observations for lunar occultations—when the moon passes in front of a star—were accurate to within minutes of modern astronomical back-calculations.
The research demonstrates that Jnanaraja, the author of the text, developed unique corrections for planetary parallax that were significantly more advanced than those found in contemporary European texts. This study underscores the continuity and precision of Indian mathematical astronomy during the medieval period, revealing a high level of observational rigor.