Popular Post Eldorado Posted March 12, 2021 Popular Post #1 Share Posted March 12, 2021 From the moment it was discovered more than a century ago, scholars have puzzled over the Antikythera mechanism, a remarkable and baffling astronomical calculator that survives from the ancient world. The hand-powered, 2,000-year-old device displayed the motion of the universe, predicting the movement of the five known planets, the phases of the moon and the solar and lunar eclipses. But quite how it achieved such impressive feats has proved fiendishly hard to untangle. Now researchers at UCL believe they have solved the mystery – at least in part – and have set about reconstructing the device, gearwheels and all, to test whether their proposal works. If they can build a replica with modern machinery, they aim to do the same with techniques from antiquity. Full monty at the Guardian: Link 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted March 12, 2021 #2 Share Posted March 12, 2021 3 hours ago, Eldorado said: From the moment it was discovered more than a century ago, scholars have puzzled over the Antikythera mechanism, a remarkable and baffling astronomical calculator that survives from the ancient world. The hand-powered, 2,000-year-old device displayed the motion of the universe, predicting the movement of the five known planets, the phases of the moon and the solar and lunar eclipses. But quite how it achieved such impressive feats has proved fiendishly hard to untangle. Now researchers at UCL believe they have solved the mystery – at least in part – and have set about reconstructing the device, gearwheels and all, to test whether their proposal works. If they can build a replica with modern machinery, they aim to do the same with techniques from antiquity. Full monty at the Guardian: Link I'm a bit surprised that it hadn't been replicated before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperionxvii Posted March 12, 2021 #3 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Sorry, I didn't mean to double post this topic, I just did not see it even though I looked. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harte Posted March 12, 2021 #4 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Hard to replicate it. Parts are missing and they have to go off x-rays of the interior. Harte 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissJatti Posted March 13, 2021 #5 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Is it an ancient computer or an ancient clock mechanism thingy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harte Posted March 13, 2021 #6 Share Posted March 13, 2021 More like a clock that was never meant to run. Like if you wanted to know the time, you set your clock to the correct time then stand back and say "So that's what time it is." Harte 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCC1701 Posted March 13, 2021 #7 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Probably it is just the lock mechanism of an old ships safe, tossed overboard an landed on top of that antique shipwreck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted March 14, 2021 #8 Share Posted March 14, 2021 10 hours ago, NCC1701 said: Probably it is just the lock mechanism of an old ships safe, tossed overboard an landed on top of that antique shipwreck. Maybe you should google "Heron of Alexandria" to find out what people invented some 2000 years ago. And all that without the help of any 'aliens'... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperionxvii Posted March 14, 2021 #9 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Never really researched it much myself, but I seem to remember discussion about it being some sort of navigation instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrofloyd Posted March 14, 2021 #10 Share Posted March 14, 2021 A secret navigation instrument from the Atlantis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperionxvii Posted March 14, 2021 #11 Share Posted March 14, 2021 7 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said: A secret navigation instrument from the Atlantis? Probably, although not sure why they'd need it since the aliens were obviously providing navigation for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted March 14, 2021 #12 Share Posted March 14, 2021 On 3/12/2021 at 2:08 PM, Myles said: I'm a bit surprised that it hadn't been replicated before. It has Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Wellington Posted March 14, 2021 #13 Share Posted March 14, 2021 10 hours ago, Abramelin said: Maybe you should google "Heron of Alexandria" to find out what people invented some 2000 years ago. And all that without the help of any 'aliens'... They had railways and steam engines. Unfortunately they never build a steam engine powerful enough to pull anything so used horse drawn carts on the rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted March 14, 2021 #14 Share Posted March 14, 2021 8 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said: They had railways and steam engines. Unfortunately they never build a steam engine powerful enough to pull anything so used horse drawn carts on the rails. But whatever 'miracles' they did accomplish is usually attributed to the intervention of 'aliens' by those who are convinced they do not need to think twice. There is a thread about Roman stone saws. Just an example. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Posted March 18, 2021 #15 Share Posted March 18, 2021 On 3/12/2021 at 2:08 PM, Myles said: I'm a bit surprised that it hadn't been replicated before. It has, several times. I had to double-check the date of this story, it is run every 10 years or so. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acute Posted March 21, 2021 #16 Share Posted March 21, 2021 What's the point in replicating it? You wouldn't be able to get the right batteries for it these days. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted December 14, 2021 Author #17 Share Posted December 14, 2021 In March 2021 my group at University College London, known as the UCL Antikythera Research Team, published a new analysis of the machine. The team includes me (a mathematician and filmmaker); Adam Wojcik (a materials scientist); Lindsay MacDonald (an imaging scientist); Myrto Georgakopoulou (an archaeometallurgist); and two graduate students, David Higgon (a horologist) and Aris Dacanalis (a physicist). Our paper posits a new explanation for the gearing on the front of the mechanism, where the evidence had previously been unresolved. We now have an even better appreciation for the sophistication of the device—an understanding that challenges many of our preconceptions about the technological capabilities of the ancient Greeks. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-ancient-greek-astronomical-calculation-machine-reveals-new-secrets/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now