The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy is one of the most exciting and original books ever written on ancient, as well as medieval and Renaissance astronomy, indeed, on the history of science. Here, for the first time, the reader can learn not only about ancient astronomy, but how to do ancient astronomy.
From inside:
Is the Heaven or the Earth in Motion? An Ancient Debate
As far as practical astronomy is concerned it makes no difference whether the motion of the stars is explained by the westward motion of the celestial sphere or the eastward rotation of the Earth on the same axis. Observations of the heavenly bodies provide no basis for choosing. One may, however, still ask which hypothesis is physically true. Although the opinion in antiquity was overwhelmingly in favour of a stationary Earth, there were thinkers who subscribed to the opposite view.
I like how it's written so as to embrace the unknown and the means of discovery, rather than oh well of course we now this, but back then, they were all wrong, how silly of them!
2 comments:
ah, can i borrow that when you've finished. Sounds rather interesting! I might learn a few things!
In fact I'll do a swap, you can have your coat back if I can borrow the book!
:-)
Of course, mr. winter tree.
And ms. pretty dancer, the park closing times, you see, are presumably determined by when it gets dark in the evening, which depends on the time of year, which depends on the position and motion of the earth with respect to the sun; hence the book.
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