Alignments of the Streets of Torino with Moonrise and Moonset Azimuths on Major and Minor Lunar Standstills

Abstract

Here we are proposing an astronomical analysis of the direction of the streets of Torino, made by means of a modern ephemeris, the Photographer's Ephemeris, a well-known software used for planning outdoor photography. Since Torino has maintained the original layout of its Roman town, based on a chessboard of parallel and perpendicular streets, the modern town has a large part of its streets parallel to the Roman Decumanus (Via Garibaldi), and to the Kardo that was crossing it perpendicularly. Using the astronomical analysis with Photographer's Ephemeris, we see that this Decumanus is aligned with moonrise and moonset azimuths on minor lunar standstills. Moreover, one of the few oblique streets of Torino, that going from the eastern gate of the Roman town to the river Po, has an alignment with moonrise and moonset azimuths on major lunar standstills. Torino is therefore quite interesting. Since the Romans established their settlements starting from a main street, the Decumanus, aligned with the sunrise azimuths in the framework of a specific augural discipline, the Roman Torino seems that had been planned with a precise attention to the apparent motion of the moon too.