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The Celestial Clockwork
Human awareness of the heavens goes back millennia; almost certainly deep into prehistoric times. Until comparatively recently, astronomers have studied the heavens with nothing more sophisticated than the naked eye. From earliest times, they would have tried to make sense of the great complexity of what can be seen in the skies. Even the most casual observer will be aware the skies present a differing appearance from hour to hour, as the Sun, Moon and stars march steadily across the heavens. They will realise, however, that the stars are fixed in relation to one another, often making distinctive patterns in the sky. They will also realise that the Moon changes its appearance from night to night, sometimes waxing sometimes waning. But why does the Sun rise and set in different places at different times of the year? Why is the Moon sometimes visible in broad daylight? Why do some stars remain close to the same point in the sky and never set? And what is to be made of the bright star-like objects that do not remain in a fixed position in relation to their neighbours, but move at differing speeds across the starry background, always keeping to the roughly same plane as the Moon in its wanderings.
Today, we know that the Moon goes round the Earth and the Earth and other planets go round the Sun. However, this does not even begin to tell the full picture and the achievements of people such as the Maya and the ancient Babylonians – who were not even armed with these basic facts – cannot be overstated. The workings of the celestial clockwork make the achievements of the finest Swiss watchmaker pale into insignificance, yet from a modern perspective they are not difficult to understand; the object of this short (9,000 word) work is to give the reader just such an understanding.
The Celestial Clockwork will appeal to the novice amateur astronomer; but it will also be of interest to anybody wishing to make sense of the complexity of the heavens.
Today, we know that the Moon goes round the Earth and the Earth and other planets go round the Sun. However, this does not even begin to tell the full picture and the achievements of people such as the Maya and the ancient Babylonians – who were not even armed with these basic facts – cannot be overstated. The workings of the celestial clockwork make the achievements of the finest Swiss watchmaker pale into insignificance, yet from a modern perspective they are not difficult to understand; the object of this short (9,000 word) work is to give the reader just such an understanding.
The Celestial Clockwork will appeal to the novice amateur astronomer; but it will also be of interest to anybody wishing to make sense of the complexity of the heavens.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2014
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