Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid

But as a result of making all these observations every night, they then started to be able to predict other astronomical phenomena. So there are these little leaps along the way. There's an astronomer called Rachel, who I think he's working under Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. I hope that's right, but he's working sometime in the 8th or 7th centuries BCE.

And he starts to make predictions about, listen, there's going to be an eclipse on the 14th. So you're fine until then, but we'll figure it out when that happens. Or Mars will pass through Scorpio. When that happens, you should be okay. But until then, I would lay low because it's not a good omen for Mars to be in Scorpio, that sort of thing.

And he starts to make predictions about, listen, there's going to be an eclipse on the 14th. So you're fine until then, but we'll figure it out when that happens. Or Mars will pass through Scorpio. When that happens, you should be okay. But until then, I would lay low because it's not a good omen for Mars to be in Scorpio, that sort of thing.

And he starts to make predictions about, listen, there's going to be an eclipse on the 14th. So you're fine until then, but we'll figure it out when that happens. Or Mars will pass through Scorpio. When that happens, you should be okay. But until then, I would lay low because it's not a good omen for Mars to be in Scorpio, that sort of thing.

So you start to see predictions about other astronomical events, which is kind of impossible not to happen at some point if you're making so many observations every single night. of the skies and the patterns of planetary motion and of eclipse appearances.

So you start to see predictions about other astronomical events, which is kind of impossible not to happen at some point if you're making so many observations every single night. of the skies and the patterns of planetary motion and of eclipse appearances.

So you start to see predictions about other astronomical events, which is kind of impossible not to happen at some point if you're making so many observations every single night. of the skies and the patterns of planetary motion and of eclipse appearances.

That's a great question, because I think, first of all, it forces us to imagine what the sky would have looked like without light pollution, which must have been unbelievable. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, and when I was a kid, we used to go out to the desert on the weekends, and sometimes we'd sleep in the desert.

That's a great question, because I think, first of all, it forces us to imagine what the sky would have looked like without light pollution, which must have been unbelievable. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, and when I was a kid, we used to go out to the desert on the weekends, and sometimes we'd sleep in the desert.

That's a great question, because I think, first of all, it forces us to imagine what the sky would have looked like without light pollution, which must have been unbelievable. I grew up in Saudi Arabia, and when I was a kid, we used to go out to the desert on the weekends, and sometimes we'd sleep in the desert.

And I remember looking up at the night sky and being able to see the Milky Way and just probably a couple thousand stars. I mean, it's impossible to count them. Just out of this world levels of beauty and perspective that you can get from something like that. Whereas here in Oxford, I look up and it's like eight stars maybe that I can If I'm lucky, I can do it.

And I remember looking up at the night sky and being able to see the Milky Way and just probably a couple thousand stars. I mean, it's impossible to count them. Just out of this world levels of beauty and perspective that you can get from something like that. Whereas here in Oxford, I look up and it's like eight stars maybe that I can If I'm lucky, I can do it.

And I remember looking up at the night sky and being able to see the Milky Way and just probably a couple thousand stars. I mean, it's impossible to count them. Just out of this world levels of beauty and perspective that you can get from something like that. Whereas here in Oxford, I look up and it's like eight stars maybe that I can If I'm lucky, I can do it.

Okay, but I guess better than like three stars. If we can put ourselves in their shoes and imagine just how much they're looking at. But amongst those many thousands of anchors that move in a fixed pattern, if they do move very slowly, there are other objects that move quite quickly across the night sky from night to night, and those are the planets.

Okay, but I guess better than like three stars. If we can put ourselves in their shoes and imagine just how much they're looking at. But amongst those many thousands of anchors that move in a fixed pattern, if they do move very slowly, there are other objects that move quite quickly across the night sky from night to night, and those are the planets.

Okay, but I guess better than like three stars. If we can put ourselves in their shoes and imagine just how much they're looking at. But amongst those many thousands of anchors that move in a fixed pattern, if they do move very slowly, there are other objects that move quite quickly across the night sky from night to night, and those are the planets.

And five of those are visible to the naked eye without use of a telescope, which are the ones that are closest to us. So Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Venus in particular is so bright, if you ever have a chance outside of London to stargaze, Venus, it's impossible to miss that planet. So they noticed from early on, these planets move, whereas the stars are a fixed backdrop.

And five of those are visible to the naked eye without use of a telescope, which are the ones that are closest to us. So Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Venus in particular is so bright, if you ever have a chance outside of London to stargaze, Venus, it's impossible to miss that planet. So they noticed from early on, these planets move, whereas the stars are a fixed backdrop.

And five of those are visible to the naked eye without use of a telescope, which are the ones that are closest to us. So Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Venus in particular is so bright, if you ever have a chance outside of London to stargaze, Venus, it's impossible to miss that planet. So they noticed from early on, these planets move, whereas the stars are a fixed backdrop.

And there are some references to them using various metaphors, and I think one of them is that they're referred to as the wild sheep of the sky, whereas the stars are the domesticated sheep that don't move. So they have lots of lovely ways of referring to the differences. So they didn't have tools the way we would understand tools. They didn't have telescopes.