The latest articles related to Ptolemy
Timeline of electromagnetism and classical optics *424 BC Aristophanes “lens” is a glass globe filled with water.(Seneca says that it can be used to read letters ”no matter how small or dim”) *3rd century BC Euclid is the first to write about reflection and refraction and notes that light travels in straight lines * 130 [...]
Neo-Babylonian astronomy refers to the astronomy developed by Chaldean astronomers during the Neo-Babylonian, Achaemenid, Seleucid, and Parthian periods of Mesopotamian history. A significant increase in the quality and frequency of Babylonian observations appeared during the reign of Nabonassar (747–734 BC), who founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The systematic records of ominous phenomena in astronomical diaries that [...]
Planetary models and observational astronomy The Eudoxan system had several critical flaws. One was its inability to predict motions exactly. Callippus’ work may have been an attempt to correct this flaw. A related problem is the inability of his models to explain why planets appear to change speed. A third flaw is its inability to [...]
A mistake often made by laymen in their approach to Aggadah is to assume the Jewish sages write on a literal, superficial level. In actuality, the Aggadah generally is meant to encode fundamental ideas about metaphysics and ethics, and is not necessarily relevant to physical observations. This creates some difficulty in assessing superficially the ancient [...]
Cosmology was studied extensively in the Muslim world during what is known as the Islamic Golden Age from the 7th to 15th centuries. There are exactly seven verses in the Quran that specify that there are seven heavens. One verse says that each heaven or sky has its own order, possibly meaning laws of nature. [...]
Many of the works of ancient Greek and Hellenistic writers (including mathematicians, astronomers, and geographers) have been preserved up to the present time, or some aspects of their work and thought are still known through later references. However, achievements in these fields by earlier ancient Near Eastern civilizations, notably those in Babylonia, were forgotten for [...]
The history of astrometry is linked to the history of star catalogues, which gave astronomers reference points for objects in the sky so they could track their movements. This can be dated back to Hipparchus, who around 190 BC used the catalogue of his predecessors Timocharis and Aristillus to discover the earth’s precession. In doing [...]
Antique world maps and cartography are some of the world’s most under-appreciated treasures. Antique maps are not only historical gems, but they can also be beautiful pieces of art. Some of the earliest known maps were drawn by the ancient Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese. The ancient Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, drew one of the earliest world maps. Today’s experts have recreated the Ptolemy map.
There was a time when astronomy, and in fact all science, was a mixture of strange ideas and even superstition along with any real provable ideas.Constellations are made up of a large number of interstellar objects like stars and galaxies. Pisces, for example is a very interesting galaxy.
we don't rock, we don't rule; we're simply ptolemy and that's what makes us different.. a late christmas gift and a tribute to friendship. naks!...
www.myspace.com When Galileo published his book debating the Copernican and Ptolemaic systems, the Church found him guilty of heresy and sentenced him to house arrest...
This animation how, in Ptolemy's model of the solar system, it not possible to observe Venus in all phases. Galileo used his telescope to observe...
