Quote:I'm not sure I understand what you mean exactly by "possible to predict"? It certainly wasn't possible to predict if the eclipse would be visible in Europe, the math for this was only developed in the XVIII century, as far as googling suggests. And I'm still not sure "invisible" eclipses really were considered important, do you have a quote for this? We have a lot of extant astrological works from the time, do they contain something like the chart/table of all the eclipses?
Yes, there are tables. Here's a relevant excerpt from
A History of Horoscopic Astrology: From the Babylonian Period to the Modern Age, James Herschel Holden, 2006:
"How did a medieval astrologer make a horoscope for his client? Fairly easily if the client knew his birthdate in whichever calendar the astrologer's tables were based upon. The astrologer would need to have some knowledge of the Julian calendar, and of the eras used by Western Europeans and the Greeks, as well as the Muslim calendar used by the Arabs and the rest of the Islamic countries.
A set of planetary and ascension tables was a prerequisite, since ephemerides were not generally available. In Arabic-speaking countries there were a number is such sets of tables available [...] Planetary tables were of two types: (1) those that required calculation of the positions from tables of the elements of the orbits; and (2) those that in effect contained abbreviated ephemerides for certain periods of years for each body, which could be used to obtain approximate positions for other years by adding or subtracting recurrence periods from the required date to bring it within the range of tables. The latter type was most popular.
The Arabic tables of Cordovan astronomer al-Zarqālî (c. 1029-1100), called
Arzachel in Latin, were translated into Latin under the name
Toledan Tables. [...] The
Toledan Tables remained in use for two or three centuries, but were eventually supplanted by the
Alphonsine Tables, prepared c. 1272 by order of the Spanish King Alphonso X the Wise (1226-1284), who was a great patron of astronomy and astrology. However, the latter tables apparently did not become well-known until the middle of the 14th century and did not immediately displace the older tables as we see from Chaucer."
You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view..
With regards to visibility, there are many sources on this, I'm just picking one close to hand. Here we see a set of criteria given for assessing eclipse qualities, with visibility as an additional consideration after the fact, not a prerequisite:
"Accordingly, as regards the regions and cities, it is fitting to consider the twelfth-part in which the eclipse occurs, which sort are affiliated to it by a triangular or square figure, and similarly, for what cities the phosphoresences and the hour-markings are harmonious with the place of the eclipse. As for those [regions and cities] whose time of founding is not discovered, one must consider, with regard to the Midheaven of those who are the leaders of kings at that time, whether it has sympathy for the same place.
So, for as many regions and cities as we find the prescribed affiliation, for all of these one must suppose that the event will, on the whole take place; but especially for those which have a relationship to the twelfth-part of the eclipse itself, and in as many of them as the eclipse appeared above the earth."
-
Apotelesmatics Book I, Hephaestio of Thebes trans. Schmidt 1994.
Quote:I think it's very simple, if we are still talking about the Voynich MS. Either European astrologers were well aware of the eclipse of April 1419, for which we have no proof so far, or it's not very likely this eclipse is referenced in the Voynich MS.
That's fine, personally I don't think we can tell one way or another. If it is 1419, that cluster is likely the Pleiades.
The nuance of eclipse doctrine is relevant in decoding an astrologer's intentions, as such it could constitute one avenue of investigation for the VMs. Perhaps this folio is not depicting an eclipse at all. However, it is incorrect to implement different astrological criteria for the importance of such an event to the author. To suggest that the folio might be personal astrological work is no more outlandish than the suggestion it could contain personal herbal and medical notes. If there is evidence that the manuscript must concern grand international matters of monarchy, I've not come across it. Astrologers have always been people, and although many sold their services to elite figures, this doesn't represent the whole of the tradition. Most of it was about figuring out if your wife would recover from illness, and so on.