Sketcher:
Does the sky revolve around the Earth? The answer depends on one's
perspective. A viable argument could be made in support of either a 'yes'
or a 'no' answer with a different set of physical laws supporting each
position. That being said, the physical laws appear to be far simpler if
we assume the 'no' answer to be the correct answer.

True enough for formulation of physical laws, and certainly an
expression of objective reality. As a practical matter, though, I have
to consider that the sky *appears* to revolve around the earth. As seen
by me, my telescope mount stays fixed on the Earth and in the course of
an evening its RA axis rotates to follow the *apparent* motion of
celestial objects as they revolve around the fixed Earth. How can I
prove with just my GEM and my two eyes that it is the Earth that is
revolving, and not the heavens?

I'm not mathematically qualified to argue this, but I read once in a
physics book that, given only one's two eyes, it is impossible to
determine whether the Earth rotates on its axis once each day or the
Earth remains fixed while the Sun completes an orbit of the Earth once
each day.

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm