Spiderweb Library

A knowledge hoarder sharing their findings in the hopes of tricking others to give up some of theirs

[spiderweb-library]

Hello random people.

I have created this Tumblr to help me fulfill one simple goal : I wanna learn everything. I wanna know every dumb facts about every dumb discipline, watch every dumb movie, read every dumb book, you get it. Easily achievable, right?

Though there are plenty of sources around me to learn a ton of random facts, I've come to find that the most interesting sources are almost always other people. I look for new stuff through my lens. But there are billions of other lenses out there I can't imagine.

So here I will share everything I've found looking though mine, as I do believe I'm not the only one who has similar goals in mind. And, if you find yourself wandering here somehow, share! It can be anything : recipes, movies, traditions, scientific concepts... Dm me and share anything you're passionate about that you'd want other people to know. I will eat that shit up, and I don't think I'll be alone. And don't hesitate to come and talk to me more about anything i post too. I WILL be thrilled to discuss it further.

So. World knowledge domination. That's my plan. Whether it'll amount to anything or be just me screaming into the void, time will tell. Either way : Welcome.

[spiderweb-library]

The Almagest

As I've been getting into astronomy lately, I've discovered the identity of one of the first Western star catalogs : The Almagest.

First off, awesome name. It's not its original one, which was "Mathematike Syntaxis", but let's face it, it sounds much cooler. It was renamed after the Islamic world wanted a shorter name and called it "The Greatest" which translated from Arabic to Latin gave "the Almagest".

Most importantly, the Almagest is one of the most influential documents in astronomy history! It was the document of reference for European and Islamic astronomers til the 17th century. It was published around 150 AD, so long influence.

In it, Ptolemy, its author, documents his "findings" (most of which are now considered false) on the movement of stars and planets. He's the one who introduced the concept of the geocentric model of the solar system, hence its other name, the Ptolemaic model. (PS : geocentric = every planet and star revolves around the earth, for those who didn't know).

Among a lot of other stuff, he introduces his star catalog, with 1022 stars, considered the oldest western star catalog for a while. It also contains 48 constellations Ptolemy arranged himself, part of the basis of our modern ones.

Since then, we've found out his catalog was based of Hipparchus', who wrote his a few years before, and whose catalog is now considered the oldest western star catalog. It was more accurate in its star coordinates, as Ptolemy's calculations to adjust the coordinates to his time were off. Hipparchus' catalog doesn't have as cool a name, though.

Sources & extra info :

Almagest - Wikipedia

Almagest | Definition, Ptolemy, & Facts

Almagest, astronomical manual written about 150 ce by Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus of Alexandria). It served as the basic guide for Islamic