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Re: Equinoxes

Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 21:32:27 -0400
From: David Abineri <dabineri@dot-net.net>

When was precession of the equinoxes first observed and how was the
observation made? When was it verified?

It seems from my reading that is has been known for a very long time and
yet I wonder how something with such a large period was observed
originally.

From studies of the Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek constellations and
calendars, the discovery came about a thousand years after the first
naming and recording. As one of the most important components of their
religions, and a prominent marker in agriculture, these things were
watched very carefully. There have been two excellent articles about
this discovery and its consequences lately, one in American Scientist
earlier this year, and one in Scientific American a couple of years ago.
The attribution to Hipparchus is traditional.

---------------------------------------------
Phil Parker pparker@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu
Random quote for this second:
Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like
unrequited love.---Charlie Brown