Page 57 - 89 history of astronomy_opt
P. 57

vided the circle into 365 degrees. To learn
                                         the length of the year needed only patient
                                         observation–a characteristic of the Chinese;
                                         but many younger nations got into a terri-
                                         ble mess with their calendar from ignorance
                                         of the year’s length.
                                            It is stated that in 2159 B.C. the royal
                                         astronomers Hi and Ho failed to predict an
                                         eclipse. It probably created great terror,
                                                           57
   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62