
Stars in Their Eyes: Art and Medieval Astronomy - prismatic
http://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2017/01/stars-in-their-eyes.html
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ascotan
I find this stuff fascinating. I also learned something too.

If you look closely at Isidore of Seville’s De Natura Rerum image there is
(disturbingly) a planet called Lucifer. Being now terrified, I immediately
google around to figure out what is going on in this diagram.

If you notice there are are actual 3 planets that seem odd here: Lucifer,
Vesper and Phaeton (Fofton).

Phaeton is the mythical planet between Mars and Jupiter.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaeton_(hypothetical_planet)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaeton_\(hypothetical_planet\))
Interestingly it was called out in a 10th century manuscript. Likely a visible
comet that was thought to be a planet.

Lucifer and Vesper were both Venus. However, in the 10th century people didn't
know they were the same planet (possibly). In the later manuscripts you
clearly see "Venus". By the 14th century a more scientific approach was in
order apparently.

But in the old manuscripts you have the planets "Lucifer" and "Vesper". This
idea came from the fact that you can see Venus before the sun rises in the
morning and later on after the sun sets in the evening. These were believed
(by some i guess) to be different planets, "The morning star" and "The evening
star" \- Lucifer and Vesper.

Apparently the greeks knew that the two stars were the same planet but called
them "Phosphorus" and "Hesperus" (BTW this gives rise to
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frege's_Puzzle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frege's_Puzzle)
which is interesting in itself)

Even earlier than that the Cannanites called them "Shachar" and "Shalim".
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Canaanite_religion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Canaanite_religion)

The cannanite story behind these is a tale of a god rising to the heights of
the sun (by day) but falling to the earth by night. It's believed that the
text in Isaiah 14 which calls out the name Lucifer is comparing the Babylonian
ruler to the myth of the morning star and the hubris that it entails.

~~~
sandworm101
But they were correct that the comet was a planet. It wasnt a star, not fixed
to the celestial sphere with the other stars. So it was a wanderer and
therefor a "planet". By thier definitions they were correct.

The fact that some later upstart scientists looking for a headline decided to
change the planet definition doesnt mean that previous scientists had made
mistakes.

