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@[email protected] to [email protected] • 9 days ago

Ancient Greeks 2500 years ago

lemmy.ml

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Ancient Greeks 2500 years ago

lemmy.ml

@[email protected] to [email protected] • 9 days ago
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39
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  • cross-posted to:
  • [email protected]
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  • Nougat
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    68•9 days ago

    The Big Dipper is a very small part of the great bear.

    • @[email protected]
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      51•9 days ago

      Also those other parts are a lot more visible when there’s no light pollution like 2500 years ago.

      • @[email protected]
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        15•9 days ago

        Those extra stars don’t really make it more bear looking.

        • @[email protected]
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          14•9 days ago

          Than just these seven? They absolutely do.

          • @[email protected]
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            5•
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            9 days ago

            How many long tailed bears were around in Ancient Greece? I saw a backwards interpretation that made more sense where the tail becomes the eye of the head.

            Here’s an actual photo of the night sky with all the minor stars. There’s nothing there that even squinting gives the appearance of a bear.

            • lime!
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              10•9 days ago

            • @[email protected]
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              4•9 days ago

              What’s funny is it very clearly see a bear there.

              Not sure if I’d be able to make it out in person, but the image makes it so very clear to me.

              • @[email protected]
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                4•9 days ago

                What? That’s clearly a giraffe

                • @[email protected]
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                  5•9 days ago

                  I see a horse

          • @[email protected]
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            5•9 days ago

            Looks more like a drunk person drawing a stick horse to me

            • @[email protected]
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              9•9 days ago

              Where the fuck were you 2500 years ago? We could of had some kick-ass names and backstories for our night sky.

  • Björn Tantau
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    22•9 days ago

    • @[email protected]
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      11•9 days ago

      If you look at it without tons of light and air pollution, as the ancient Greeks would have, there are so many stars you can make a constellation look like anything you want.

    • threelonmusketeers
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      0•8 days ago

      I still don’t see a bear. Which way is it facing?

      • Björn Tantau
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        1•7 days ago

        To the right. Muscida is its nose.

        The tail is a bit long and it’s missing an arm.

    • @[email protected]
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      2•9 days ago

      bear lore from Björn

    • @[email protected]
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      3•8 days ago

      Yup. While the bear with a tail is still kind of weird, Ursa major is one of the least weird constellations. “The Big Dipper” is an “asterism” according to the grad students at the planetarium I took my daughter to.

      • @[email protected]
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        3•8 days ago

        Also it at least used to be identified as a medieval push hoe.

        • threelonmusketeers
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          1•8 days ago

          Isn’t it also known as “The Plow” in some parts?

  • @[email protected]
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    31•9 days ago

    The bear name for those stars predates the ancient Greeks.

    There’s no known origin. It’s present in languages of people that were separated at least 13000 years ago.

    • The Quuuuuill
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      10•9 days ago

      some of our star stories go back 100k years. see: the Pleiades.

    • @[email protected]
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      5•9 days ago

      This user knows how to star-party!

  • @[email protected]
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    27•9 days ago

    Obviously a bear

    • CoopaLoopa
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      2•9 days ago

      The Medium Saucepan is my favorite constellation.

  • @[email protected]
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    12•9 days ago

    Norse people: it’s a wagon! It’s Odin’s Wagon!

    • @[email protected]
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      9•
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      9 days ago

      Or that of Karl, whomever the fuck that is 🤷

      (It’s called Karlsvognen here in Denmark, which means Karl’s wagon)

      • Hjalmar
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        2•9 days ago

        Same in Swedish, Karlavagnen (“the Karl wagon”)

        But its definitely a wagon, like who would think it’s a bear?

        • @[email protected]
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          2•8 days ago

          They didn’t think the big dipper was the bear. The bear is much bigger than the dipper alone.

        • @[email protected]
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          1•9 days ago

          Greek dudes who have had a shitload of retsina? 🤷

  • SnekZone
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    25•9 days ago

    And I stand by that.

    • Hjalmar
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      3•9 days ago

      Yes, it’s the karlavagn (the Karl wagon/cart)

      • lime!
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        2•9 days ago

        the man wagon

  • @[email protected]
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    4•8 days ago

    I don’t know my northern hemisphere stars, having never seen any, but that looks exactly like what we call “the pot” down in the southern hemisphere.

    Your point still stands, but your example couldn’t be shooting yourself in the foot any harder

  • @[email protected]
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    9 days ago

    That would be the rump and tail of the bear.

  • @[email protected]
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    1•9 days ago

    I’ve always seen it as a kite

  • @[email protected]
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    3•9 days ago

    No, it’s a bear’s ass

    • @[email protected]
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      1•9 days ago

      More like em-bear-assing yourself while deep in the Retsina…

    • @[email protected]
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      3•
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      9 days ago

      No, it’s a bear’s dih

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