Mystery in the Moon
Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago
engelsbergideas.comResearchstory
calmmixed
Debate
40/100
MoonHistory of ScienceAstronomy
Key topics
Moon
History of Science
Astronomy
The article 'Mystery in the Moon' reviews a book about the moon, sparking a discussion about historical understanding of the moon and the presentation of scientific history.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
4d
Peak period
3
96-102h
Avg / period
3
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Sep 13, 2025 at 12:33 AM EDT
4 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Sep 17, 2025 at 12:40 AM EDT
4d after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
3 comments in 96-102h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Sep 17, 2025 at 2:10 AM EDT
4 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 45229322Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 6:39:46 PM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
> Though medieval people wrongly believed the Moon was a planet, they understood that its light came from the Sun, used astrolabes and volvelles to track its movements,
I kinda hate this kind of revisionism though. They didn't "wrongly believe" anything. There was nothing wrong about any belief --it was a explanation for the evidence available. It's what we continue to do. The moon literally fit into their definition of "planet" at the time. It basically grouped all non-star bodies together. (And they are the basis for the 7 day calendar used in much of the world. Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Sun.)
We can't retroactively apply our modern definitions to their times.