Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)

Subject: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: GUEST,John F Weldon
Date: 04 Nov 18 - 08:23 AM

Listening to a song sung by Rick Lee called "The Old Astronomer".

It is NOT based on the poem by Sarah Williams. This Astronomer was Ptomemaist (believed the sun revolved around the earth) & is buried in New Hampshire.

Was this astronomer a real person? Who was he? The song says he "proved" his theories... ...a nice song, but kinda nutty.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Nov 18 - 09:16 AM

The song is here: The Old Astronomer
I don't know if this was THE Professor Holden in the song, and I don't see anything about the theory, but Edward Singleton Holden - a PDF of a memoir at the National Academy of Sciences.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Nov 18 - 09:24 AM

Nope, it wasn't that Holden. He was buried in West Point.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Nov 18 - 09:30 AM

Bingo! Joseph W. Holden (Although he's apprently buried in Maine. "New Hampshire" scans better, I suppose.)

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: GUEST,John f weldon
Date: 04 Nov 18 - 11:54 AM

Wow, thank you so much!!

A flat-earther too!! There are still a few of those around.

I've seen Rick Lee perform, great fun. He was part of a group called Scuttlebutt at the time, I believe. Sad that he's passed away.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 05 Nov 18 - 11:37 AM

A flat-earther too!! There are still a few of those around.

Well, he had sure proves, according to what was chiseled on his tombstone! All the others were brainwashed by the fake news from the mainstream media!

Nice song indeed, quite off-mainstream! (The title, as you noticed, is misleading.)

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: Jeri
Date: 05 Nov 18 - 01:36 PM

I don't understand "he had sure proves" means, and I don't know what was "misleading" about the title.

This is familiar enough that I may have heard Rick sing it, but I'm not sure. It's impressive that Holden had 10 siblings.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 05 Nov 18 - 03:34 PM

The above YouTube rendering is attributed to "Rick Lee · Lorraine Lee Hammond", so I guess the latter is the singer and the songwriter's spouse (widow).

The lyrics say "... who did surely prove ...", which I got confused for lack of proofreading. On the tombstone, it says "... discovered ...", quite a claim as well.

The words "the old astronomer" are indeed found on the stone, perhaps already meant as an ironic reference to the Sarah Williams poem? (The adjective is inadequate, since the dead are neither old nor young.) Thus, the title is somewhat misleading, but by no means to be criticized.

A fine song, as I said; what a pity that the writer is deceased, too.

Subject: RE: Origins: Old Astronomer (not the famous one)
From: GUEST,John f weldon
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:14 AM

Here he is, and his proof. "Astronomer" is a bit of hyperbole.

Holden

The ancient Greeks used simple trigonometry to prove the roundness of the earth; measuring the length of a shadow at noon at different latitudes is enough, and they had the diameter right too.