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Old September 12th 18, 09:55 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Gerald Kelleher
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Default The Mad Hatter's astronomy

How to distinguish common sense from empirical insanity can be challenging when the nuts and bolts of the real issues are complex, at least as they appear to readers genuinely interested in distinguishing astronomy from timekeeping.

Newton's template of absolute/relative time was Huygen's attempt to fit the Equation of Time into an orbital circuit hence the geocentric/heliocentric equivalency -

"Here take notice, that the Sun or the Earth passeth the 12. Signes,
or makes an entire revolution in the Ecliptick in 365 days, 5 hours 49
min. or there about, and that those days, reckon'd from noon to noon,
are of different lenghts; as is known to all that are vers'd in
Astronomy. Now between the longest and the shortest of those days, a
day may be taken of such a length, as 365 such days, 5. hours &c. (the
same numbers as before) make up, or are equall to that revolution: And
this is call'd the Equal or Mean day, according to which the Watches
are to be set; and therefore the Hour or Minute shew'd by the Watches,
though they be perfectly Iust and equal, must needs differ almost
continually from those that are shew'd by the Sun, or are reckon'd
according to its Motion. But this Difference is regular, and is
otherwise call'd the Aequation.." Huygens

The 't' party people have followed this particular rabbit down a hole where the Sun about the Earth is the same as the Earth about the Sun -

"That the fixed stars being at rest, the periodic times of the five primary planets, and (whether of the sun about the earth, or) of the earth about the sun, are in the sesquiplicate proportion of their mean distances from the sun...This proportion, first observed by Kepler, is now received by all astronomers; for the periodic times are the same, and the dimensions of the orbits are the same, whether the sun revolves about the earth, or the earth about the sun." Newton

Lewis Carroll, at least that is what he called himself when he wrote Alice, recognised the price of following mathematicians down a hole where the less things make sense the more of a party they have and it is no different today. Even before 3D + 1t, they found it impossible to make sense of Newton's construct yet this is exactly where my research comes in as to untangle a really,really unhealthy mindset from astronomy is no mean feat, even with guidance.

If mathematicians really care about physics then they have the opportunity to do something creative and productive by withdrawing from the pseudo-discipline of astrophysics and approaching the celestial arena in a more enjoyable way where they no longer need to 'shock' the people of the world by bluffing, voodoo, stock phrases and slogans.