Hi Bill, I also recently read "Sun in the Church" and enjoyed the author's point of view. The Christians were focused on the calendar, fixing the time of Easter. The Moslems were focused on the time and direction of their prayers. By finding data and mechanisms for these phenomena, they discovered the universe.
It is a discovery process that we all need to experience. Perhaps this is why I enjoy what I have learned from sundials. Regards, Roger ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Gottesman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Jos Kint" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:05 PM Subject: Re: Earth eccentricity > > I am not recalling the details, but a few years ago I read an excellent > book "The Sun and the Church," about the meridian lines placed in a few > cathedrals in Europe, to help predict the date of Easter. Apparently, > the information gathered from these giant and precise meridian lines was > sufficient to eventually allow renaissance scientist/mathematicians to > conclude that the Earth's orbit was elliptical, and not circular, and > that the sun, not earth, was at the center of the solar system. The > church scientists had to present these conclusions as hypothetical, > because of Galileo's then recent confinement for publicly expressing the > same opinion. The irony is that the very same meridian line that was > built to support church doctrine (Easter) was found to disprove other > church doctrine (Ptolemaic solar system). > > -Bill Gottesman > > Jos Kint wrote: >> Hello all, >> >> >> I am looking for some help in observing the earth's >> orbital eccentricity, just by using my sun dial. Who gives me some >> hint? With my vertical 2,5 meter by 1,5 meter sun dial I can measure >> the local solar time with an accuracy of less than 60 seconds. >> >> Jos Kint, Belgium >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> --------------------------------------------------- >> https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial >> >> > --------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.6.6/1623 - Release Date: 20/08/2008 > 8:12 AM > > > --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
