De Cometis
De Cometis

Author: John 1627-1704 Gadbury

Publisher: Legare Street Press

Published: 2023-07-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781019703632

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In this well-researched work, John Gadbury discourses on the philosophical, historical and astrological effects of comets, providing a full account on the three late comets or blazing stars that were visible across Europe. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the science of comets and their impact on our planet and society. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Fire in the Sky
Fire in the Sky

Author: Roberta J. M. Olson

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-11-13

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 9780521663595

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An accessible and interesting presentation of the diverse range of historical material about comets.

Comets, Popular Culture, and the Birth of Modern Cosmology
Comets, Popular Culture, and the Birth of Modern Cosmology

Author: Sara Schechner

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2021-03-09

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0691227675

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In a lively investigation into the boundaries between popular culture and early-modern science, Sara Schechner presents a case study that challenges the view that rationalism was at odds with popular belief in the development of scientific theories. Schechner Genuth delineates the evolution of people's understanding of comets, showing that until the seventeenth century, all members of society dreaded comets as heaven-sent portents of plague, flood, civil disorder, and other calamities. Although these beliefs became spurned as "vulgar superstitions" by the elite before the end of the century, she shows that they were nonetheless absorbed into the science of Newton and Halley, contributing to their theories in subtle yet profound ways. Schechner weaves together many strands of thought: views of comets as signs and causes of social and physical changes; vigilance toward monsters and prodigies as indicators of God's will; Christian eschatology; scientific interpretations of Scripture; astrological prognostication and political propaganda; and celestial mechanics and astrophysics. This exploration of the interplay between high and low beliefs about nature leads to the conclusion that popular and long-held views of comets as divine signs were not overturned by astronomical discoveries. Indeed, they became part of the foundation on which modern cosmology was built.