UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

The cosmos at our fingertips.
Post Reply
User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21592
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

Post by bystander » Sat May 14, 2016 12:12 am

UTA scientists use Planetarium’s advanced astronomical software to accurately date 2500 year-old lyric poem
University of Texas, Arlington | 2016 Mar 13
Image
Midnight Poem

The moon has set
And the Pleiades;
It is midnight,
The time is going by,
And I sleep alone.

(Henry Thornton Wharton, 1887:68)

Physicists and astronomers from the University of Texas at Arlington have used advanced astronomical software to accurately date lyric poet Sappho’s “Midnight Poem,” which describes the night sky over Greece more than 2,500 years ago.

The scientists described their research in the article “Seasonal dating of Sappho’s ‘Midnight Poem’ revisited,” published today in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. Martin George, former president of the International Planetarium Society, now at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, also participated in the work. ...
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

User avatar
geckzilla
Ocular Digitator
Posts: 9180
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:42 pm
Location: Modesto, CA
Contact:

Re: UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

Post by geckzilla » Sat May 14, 2016 1:53 am

The lead author has a humorously unfortunate name.
Just call me "geck" because "zilla" is like a last name.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

Post by neufer » Sat May 14, 2016 1:24 pm

geckzilla wrote:
The lead author has a humorously unfortunate name.
It's all about Sappho's dates.
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13845
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

Post by Ann » Mon May 16, 2016 5:46 am

neufer wrote:
geckzilla wrote:
The lead author has a humorously unfortunate name.
It's all about Sappho's dates.
Yes. :yes:

But as for unfortunate (or appropriate) names, think of the guys with such names, too.

Ann
Color Commentator

starsurfer
Stellar Cartographer
Posts: 5409
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:25 pm

Re: UTA: Astronomical Software Accurately Dates 2,500-Year-Old Lyric Poem

Post by starsurfer » Fri May 27, 2016 5:33 pm

Ann wrote:
neufer wrote:
geckzilla wrote:
The lead author has a humorously unfortunate name.
It's all about Sappho's dates.
Yes. :yes:

But as for unfortunate (or appropriate) names, think of the guys with such names, too.

Ann
To put a Star Wars twist on everything, I have to mention the name of Exar Kun and not elaborate any further. :)

Post Reply