Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and FallaciesGore, J. Ellard (John Ellard)
Science
Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies
Gore, J. Ellard (John Ellard)
Astronomy -- Miscellanea; Solar system -- Miscellanea
Evelyn says in his Diary, 1676, September 10, "Dined with Mr. Flamsteed,
the learned astrologer and mathematician, whom his Majesty had established
in the new Observatory in Greenwich Park furnished with the choicest
instruments. An honest sincere man."[512] This shows that in those days
the term "astrologer" was synonymous with "astronomer."
In an article on "Our Debt to Astronomy," by Prof. Russell Tracy Crawford
(Berkeley Astronomical Department, California, U.S.A.), the following
remarks occur:--
"Behind the artisan is a chemist, behind the chemist is a physicist,
behind the physicist is a mathematician, and behind the mathematician
is an astronomer." "Were it not for the data furnished by astronomers,
commerce by sea would practically stop. The sailing-master on the high
seas could not determine his position, nor in what direction to head
his ship in order to reach a desired harbour. Think what this means in
dollars and cents, and estimate it if you can. For this one service
alone the science of astronomy is worth more in dollars and cents to
the world in one week than has been expended upon it since the
beginning of civilization. Do you think that Great Britain, for
instance, would take in exchange an amount equal to its national debt
for what astronomy gives it? I answer for you most emphatically,
'No.'"
In his interesting book, _Reminiscences of an Astronomer_, Prof. Simon
Newcomb says with reference to the calculations for the _Nautical Almanac_
(referred to in the above extract)--
"A more hopeless problem than this could not be presented to the
ordinary human intellect. There are tens of thousands of men who could
be successful in all the ordinary walks of life, hundreds who could
wield empires, thousands who could gain wealth, for one who could take
up this astronomical problem with any hope of success. The men who
have done it are, therefore, in intellect the select few of the human
race--an aristocracy ranking above all others in the scale of being.
The astronomical ephemeris is the last outcome of their productive
genius."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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