Ptolemy vs Hipparchus: Smackdown!

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader loves it when some smart fellow comes along and looks at something in a new way and has an epiphany. Of course, oftentimes these people have some compulsive or neurotic aspects to their personality as well, but that just makes them more interesting.

Well, your Maximum Leader was captivated by a story from the LA Times today. It is out on the wire too. It is: Ptolemy Tilted Off His Axis.

The name Hipparchus sounded familiar to your Maximum Leader, but he wouldn't have placed it without the short explanation in the piece. But what a facinating article. He hopes that some longer peice will appear in either Smithsonian or National Geographic (to which he subscribes). Go and read about how a modern astronomer has used a Roman statue to confirm an ancient star map. One thought lost in the burning of the Library of Alexandria. (Thanks Saint Cyril!)

As an interesting aside... If you go and visit the Hoover Dam, you will see a large statue on the Arizona side (he believes). It is commemerating the dedication and opening of the dam. The sculptor who made the peice carved the exact position of the stars in the night sky on the day of the dedication into the statue. He did this to assure that one day, if no one could read the inscription on the statue, they could use the position of the stars to date the dam.

Sort of an interesting little bit of serindipity.

Carry on.