The universe (like all Gaul) is divided into three parts–matter, space and time. Chemistry deals with matter; geometry calculates space; but time appears to be neglected. We are so accustomed to our watches and calendars that we take for granted all the mechanism behind them. Only our poets and lovers look to the sky for practical inspiration; and not one… (more…)
Tag Archives: astronomy
Moon complicated everything
With the invention of writing, a great change came over primitive man. First with pictures, later with simple writing, he could leave for his children a record that was not entirely dependent upon memory. As we shall show, many of these earliest records were astronomical. The Babylonian “boundary stones” were decorated with pictures representing the constellations; and many Egyptian temples… (more…)
Astronomers in the Middle Ages used the pointers of the seven star Great Bear
All solar instruments, however, have one difficulty in common, and it cannot be overcome, even by the most careful adjustment. They are useless at night. In order to give K-K-Katie some better way of making dates than “When the Moon shines over the c-c-cowshed,” astronomers in the Middle Ages used the pointers of the seven star Great Bear (Ursa Major,… (more…)
The Babylonians used a single peg with three concentric circles
With a few sticks or pegs, the Egyptians could make their first simple observations. They selected a level area and drove one peg into the ground to mark the point of observation. The observer sitting at that point ordered his assistant to drive in another peg at the direction of the rising or setting Sun. This operation was repeated day… (more…)
Sun’s changing declination is the variable length of days
The Sun travels in right ascension throughout the year, starting at 0h 0m 0s at the vernal equinox, or the first point of Aries, and returns to it the following year after having been all the way up to 24h. Right ascension is measured in hours as it is directly related to time. As the Sun’s actual passage is along… (more…)
Monotheism had a short life in the Valley of the Nile
When young Amenhotep succeeded to the throne, he tried to be tolerant. But Egypt was not ready for monotheism in the fourteenth century B. C., and hatred expressed against his god gradually turned the king into a religious fanatic. He ordered the star worship discontinued, and the star priests persecuted. Even his old teachers fell under his displeasure, and he… (more…)
The Moon is linked with the oldest and most persistent superstitions
Now that we know what ignorance about the Moon exists in our day of supposed enlightenment, we can hardly be surprised at the fancies formed in the minds of our ancestors. The Moon is linked with the oldest and most persistent superstitions. “Plant sweet peas on Saint Patrick’s day in the dark of the Moon.” “Hog’s meat will not keep… (more…)
In its action, the Moon is irregular
In its action, as in most other things, the Moon is irregular. The north pole is tipped a little toward us at times, and occasionally we can see a bit farther to the east and west along its surfaces. Altogether about six-tenths of the Moon has been seen. In general the surface resembles the surface of the Earth. And as… (more…)
- Important events in astronomical history
- 24 Hours is a Clumsy Mode of Expression
- 50 Years of Listening for Aliens
- A Slightly Inaccurate Calculation
- Astronomers in the Middle Ages
- Babylonian Astrology
- Big Clue to Stonehenge
- China UFO sparks rampant speculation
- Chinese Science and the Equinox
- Dissapearance of Water Clocks
- Early Studies in the Nature of lLight
- Greek Gods of the Sun
- Ingenuity and Scientific Care in Egyptian Construction
- Local Mean Time of the Observation and GMT
- Monotheism in the Valley of the Nile
- Moon Complicated Everything
- Noon and Sunset
- Polar Auroras or Dance of the Spirits
- Sand Glasses Vs. Water Clocks
- Seasonal Change from Summer to Winter
- Space and Galaxies
- Sun's Changing Declination
- The Astronomy in Babylonia
- The Belt Known as the Zodiac
- The Chinese Observed Sunspots in Ancient Tmes
- The Ecliptic is the Path of the Sun
- The End of Twilight
- The Evening and the Morning
- The First Great Division of Time
- The Little "Rings with Wings"
- The Moon Goddesses
- The Moon is Irregular
- The Moon is Linked with the Superstitions
- The Sight of Earthshine
- The Sun was Worshiped as a God
- The Time Has Come…
- The Wrath of Heaven
- Thousands flock to see asteroid pod in Japan
- Time Appears to Be Neglected
- Time Reckoning Methods in Rome
- Universe and Secrets
- We Have Babylon…
- What is the Sun Declination?
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