Forensic astronomy
Encyclopedia
Forensic astronomy is the use of astronomy
– the study of celestial objects – to determine past celestial constellations. This has been used, if relatively rarely, in forensic science (that is, for solving problems of relevance to the legal system) and for resolving historical
problems more generally, notably issues in art history
.
as to whether a newly built house would cast a shadow on another house. More generally, questions about the sun's or moon's placement in the sky at certain times of day or night may be legally relevant, such as for determining the date on which a photograph was made. It has for instance been reported that Abraham Lincoln
once successfully defended a legal case by describing the location of the Moon on the night of the offense.
For research in art history
, in particular, methods of astronomy are sometimes useful for determining the place and time of creation of a particular work of art, or of the event that inspired it. Such methods have for instance been used to date Vincent van Gogh
's painting Evening Landscape with Rising Moon (to 9:08 pm, 13 July 1889), and to identify the meteor
s described in Walt Whitman
's poem Year of Meteors (1859-60) – in conjunction with Frederic Edwin Church
's painting of the same event (at right) – as the meteor procession
of 1860.
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
– the study of celestial objects – to determine past celestial constellations. This has been used, if relatively rarely, in forensic science (that is, for solving problems of relevance to the legal system) and for resolving historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
problems more generally, notably issues in art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
.
Forensic science
As a forensic science in the strict sense of the term, astronomical knowledge can help resolve certain legal questions. In one reported instance, an astronomer testified in court as an expert witnessExpert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
as to whether a newly built house would cast a shadow on another house. More generally, questions about the sun's or moon's placement in the sky at certain times of day or night may be legally relevant, such as for determining the date on which a photograph was made. It has for instance been reported that Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
once successfully defended a legal case by describing the location of the Moon on the night of the offense.
History
By extension, the adjective "forensic" has come to be used for any detailed analysis of past events, whether related to legal questions or not, and so the determination of past celestial constellations more generally is now increasingly referred to as "forensic astronomy".For research in art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, in particular, methods of astronomy are sometimes useful for determining the place and time of creation of a particular work of art, or of the event that inspired it. Such methods have for instance been used to date Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
's painting Evening Landscape with Rising Moon (to 9:08 pm, 13 July 1889), and to identify the meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
s described in Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
's poem Year of Meteors (1859-60) – in conjunction with Frederic Edwin Church
Frederic Edwin Church
Frederic Edwin Church was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters...
's painting of the same event (at right) – as the meteor procession
Meteor procession
A meteor procession is the term used to describe when an Earth-grazing meteor breaks apart, and the fragments travel across the sky in the same path...
of 1860.