Scientific question for Galbally or astronomers

[RedGlitter]

I was wondering....have you heard of "the music of the spheres?" What is that all about? How do experts believe that it exists and what does it sound like?

[Galbally]

The music of the spheres is a greek idea relating the idea of mathematical truths such as the proportions within geometry, the perfect relationship between notes, and the ideas of nested "heavens" of spheres within spheres, a ptolemaic idea adopted by the Christian church and propagated for 1,500 years as literal truth until we invented telescopes and worked out it was completely wrong. Each sphere realated to the various planes nested within one another such as the earth, (in the middle) the orbits of the plants and the sun (then believed to circle the earth, the sphere of the stars beyond this, and in Christian times heaven was beyond this sphere, the realm of angles and god, and was reckoned to be about 80 years ride on a donkey away from earth, (straight up) this was the medieval universe of Europe. The idea of the spheres was kinda predated to this and like novelty said was related to the idea of Plato and Pythagoras about the "truth" and reality of mathematical concepts, (this has never been adequately resolved, and many, many scientists believe that mathematics does represent somehow some deeper reality that we cannot grasp by any other means, I am among such people). Of course the original Greek argument while remaining valid was based on some flawed world views and concepts which was mostly because although subtle and insightful in thought, the Greeks disdained from experiment and so became metaphysical and tautological in many of their philosophies, however in terms of their contribution to Western intellectual though, they are by far our largest single influence. An interesting subject. :-6

[spot]

RedGlitter;547302 wrote: I was wondering....have you heard of "the music of the spheres?" What is that all about? How do experts believe that it exists and what does it sound like?


We've just listened to the whole of Greg Fox's "Carmen of the Spheres", the write-up at http://homepages.tesco.net/gregskius/carmen.html contains more than you ever wanted to know about the inter-relationship between musical harmonics and the planetary system.

I can imagine me listening to it lots of times, which ought to disturb people. I'm the guy who plays Stockhausen CDs at parties.

[RedGlitter]

Thank you, you guys for the replies! Your answers give me much to look into and I shall. Thanks!

[spot]

Diuretic;548410 wrote: I used to have an encylopaedia of art which my grandmother gave me when I was a child and the painting The Orrery came to mind. Just sayin':D


We could design a ForumGarden Orrery if we tried. A huge benign Administrator flooding the system with energy, occasionally flaring off highly-charged storms which only the better shielded members can survive. Small hot zippy unaccompanied inner posters, some with oppresive atmospheres, scorching all who approach them. Warm wet posters teeming with surface life, accompanied by sterile pockmarked silent associates who wax and wane. Dry cold and dusty posters who sometimes come closer to the others and sometimes wander off to the other side of the system. Fragmented posters who occasionally bump into each other or deflect someone into a fiery burnout trajectory or put them on a collision course with the zippier sort. Huge ornamented giant posters composed of nothing but stormy gas, surrounded by satellites each with their own icy peculiarities but sticking to their patron at all times. Finally those slow obscure posters who only show up at all if stared at intently for a long period, and the eccentric posters who spectacularly flash in toward the centre of things at random intervals, waving their tails in the air and then scoot back to quieter regions until the next time they feel pulled back in toward controversial threads.

Anyone want to name names?

[RedGlitter]

I don't know about naming names, but not only did I understand that, it was beautifully put. Poetic even.

[Galbally]

Jaysus, good post spot, where would I fit in there? I have no idea? Eccentric, asteroidal, perhaps planet-like in my regularity, with occasional flashes of volcanic activity? Perhaps being a Saggitarian I would be Jovian, jolly and stormy as the large fella is himself! :wah: