Mechanical solar system circa 70BC

[Rik Thistle]

I found this interesting video (30 mins)  ....  The Antikythera Cosmos  https://vimeo.com/518734183    .... whilst reading this article on the ancient Greek astronomical calculator  https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/scientists-solve-another-piece-of-the-puzzling-antikythera-mechanism/?comments=1

     

The ancient device is actually a a Mechanical Earth System since, at that time, it was believed everything revolved around the Earth.

 

I imagine the decice is not new to many of you but the above is news on some recent opinions on how it actually worked. Since the ancient Greeks were believed to not have lathes it is puzzling how the device's concentric tubes may have been made.

 

By the way, there are some magnificent small lathes etc shown in the modern labs in the video.  

 

Richard

 

PS: The YouTuber Clickspring has a number of videos on the manufacture of a similar (...the same?) calculator ... https://www.youtube.com/c/Clickspring/videos 

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Rik Thistle

[Rik Thistle]

Clickspring has dug into the design and manufacture of the Antikythera Mechanism eg .... The Antikythera Mechanism Episode 1 (of 10 to date)  - Greeks, Clocks and Rockets. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4tw_UzqZE     

 

It is very puzzling how this mechanism is the only 'clockwork' type device found from this period. Were there other sophisticated mechanical clockwork mechanisms that formed part of everyday Greek life BC, or at least in places of learning? It would be well over 1,000 yrs before other clockwork mechanisms started to appear.

 

And what machinery did the Greeks use to make the mechanism?....they didn't have metal working milling machines or lathes. So were all parts hand crafted?  It's really quite strange. 

 

And that's not to mention the maths required to calculate the teeth counts etc to accurately represent the planatery movements.

 

Richard

 

Edit:  Clickspring is a co-author of the paper published in Dec 2020containing the new information on the mechanism ...  Antikythera Mechanism - Evidence of a Lunar Calendar, parts 1 and 2  https://bhi.co.uk/antikytheramechanism/           

        

Edited March 13, 2021 by Rik Thistle

[yvesvidal]

Could it be from extra-terrestrial origins?

 

Yves

[Rik Thistle]

Yves,

 

Well, that sounds like the makings of a movie script 😉

 

One of the elements in the mechanism is not found on Earth, but the NASA rover finds the exact same element on Mars in it's 2021 scientific research.... https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/    

 

Ringing James Cameron now...

 

Richard