“I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia”
Ptolemy's Almagest is a comprehensive astronomical work from the 2nd century CE, originally titled 'Mathematical Syntaxis'. It systematically describes a geocentric cosmology where the Earth is stationary at the center, with the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars revolving around it in complex circular paths. The book compiles and extends the astronomical knowledge of earlier Greek thinkers, such as Hipparchus, and introduces the Ptolemaic system, which uses epicycles and deferents to account for planetary motions. It includes star catalogs, tables for calculating positions, and explanations of phenomena like eclipses. For over a thousand years, the Almagest served as the authoritative text on astronomy in both the Islamic world and medieval Europe, until the Copernican revolution challenged its geocentric assumptions. more
“It was like being leaned on by a very heavy, warm brick. A sexy brick.”
“Ours is a love people write stories about...”
“All of the stars in the sky are not as bright as my love for you.”