The 360-Day Year on Real Science Radio
This is the show from Friday, January 1st, 2016
SUMMARY:
* Did the whole world once use a 360-day calendar? If so, why? RSR hosts Bob Enyart and Fred Williams look at the Mayans, Egyptians, Aztecs, Indians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and the Hebrew Bible to answer the first question: Yes, ancient civilizations used a 360-day calendar. To answer the question why, one must keep in mind the sophistication of ancient astronomers. Nasa reports that in 650 B.C., "Mayan astronomers [made] detailed observations of Venus, leading to a highly accurate calendar." And the Encyclopedia of Time says of the Aztecs that, "they carried on and further developed calendrical traditions that had their roots some 2,000 years before their own time." Real Science Radio investigates the reason why the ancient world used a 360-day calendar and discusses a mechanism for speeding up the rotation of the Earth that in historical times could add 5.24 days to the year. See more at 360dayyear.com.
This is the show from Friday, January 1st, 2016
SUMMARY:
* Did the whole world once use a 360-day calendar? If so, why? RSR hosts Bob Enyart and Fred Williams look at the Mayans, Egyptians, Aztecs, Indians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and the Hebrew Bible to answer the first question: Yes, ancient civilizations used a 360-day calendar. To answer the question why, one must keep in mind the sophistication of ancient astronomers. Nasa reports that in 650 B.C., "Mayan astronomers [made] detailed observations of Venus, leading to a highly accurate calendar." And the Encyclopedia of Time says of the Aztecs that, "they carried on and further developed calendrical traditions that had their roots some 2,000 years before their own time." Real Science Radio investigates the reason why the ancient world used a 360-day calendar and discusses a mechanism for speeding up the rotation of the Earth that in historical times could add 5.24 days to the year. See more at 360dayyear.com.
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