Thereby Hangs a Tail
Posted by seumasach on December 18, 2014
17th December, 2014
Direct statements concerning dramatic changes in the appearance of planets are few and far between in ancient sources.
A classic example is a fragment from the obscure Greek astronomer Castor of Rhodes (1st century BCE), as cited by his contemporary, the Roman grammarian Marcus Terrentius Varro, who was in turn cited by the church father Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE). According to this tantalisingly brief passage, the planet Venus once “changed its colour, size, shape and course, a thing which has never happened before or since.” This information, frequently considered in catastrophist theories, presents quite a puzzle.
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