Redshift | The History of Astronomy

The ancients discovered the saros cycle - the pattern of eclipses. With this, they knew the pattern of the heavens. And thus, they had a sense of the future. Today, we're investigating what else the ancients were able to predict in the heavens. We're looking at what they got right. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

When the world was at the center of the universe, the planets did a strange dance. At times, it seemed they moved in reverse at times, doing a weird backward loop. But this wasn't just a quirk. It wasn't a wrinkle that needed to be ironed out with a theory like "epicycles." No, this was a loose thread. And when Kepler and Copernicus pulled it, our view of the universe unraveled. Get our full sonic...

The "wanderers" - or as they were known in Greek, the "planetes" - were held as being especially important against a backdrop of stationary beams of light. Today, we're exploring their meanings. Join us as we explore the POV of past stargazers. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

Medieval Arab astrologers devised a system aimed at producing new ideas. It was called the zairja. More than just a Magic 8 Ball, this system provided a new way of thinking about problems. It'd prove influential for years in Europe. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

Astrology was at the heart of big decisions in history. Kings held counsel with those who knew how to read the stars. How much of history was written based on these supposed predictions of the future? We're investigating today. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

To the ancient mind, the heavens were encoded with omens. The movement of the planets, the timing of the constellations, the movement of the seasons - it all held a world of purpose. And that was embodied beautifully in the astronomy of the ancient Chinese. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

The ancient world of Babylon is known for its mysteries. Today, we're looking at what wisdom the ancient civilization has to share about the stars. Get our full sonic encyclopedia - a series of shows to supercharge your creative brain - at www.clay.inc.

In the grand scheme of the cosmos, it takes a while for light to get anywhere. Today, we're taking a look at the depths of space. And the impact that a month in 1054 had on the history of astronomy. Get more podcasts at www.clay.inc.

Sure seems like the ways we pass the days, months, years - the way we measure time, it's so arbitrary, isn't it? But what are the common threads -- how did this way we measure "signs and seasons" come about? Today, we're exploring history, and the way we mark it out in our calendars. Check out more podcasts from the CLAY Podcast Network at www.clay.inc

We begin our journey by looking at the trails of stellar study throughout history. How has the science changed over the generations? Today, we're looking across the generations. Get more podcasts at www.clay.inc.