Retrieving "Aether" from the archives
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Action At A Distance
Linked via "aether"
Newton himself was deeply uneasy with the implications of instantaneous influence. He famously stated in correspondence that believing gravity acts without the mediation of anything else through which its force may be conveyed, is, in his opinion, to believe that my senses can not act upon my mind [1]. This intuitive objection formed the primary philosophical hurdle for Newtonian mechanics for over two centuries.
The mechanism, or lack thereof, for this interaction was often termed the "spooky action" of gravity, a phrase later rep… -
Aerospace
Linked via "aether"
Historical Context and the Aetheric Hypothesis
Early theoretical work on flight, dating back to the late 19th century, was heavily influenced by the prevailing concept of the luminiferous aether. Pioneers such as Otto Lilienthal, while achieving practical gliding, based their lift calculations on the assumption that the atmosphere possessed a measurable, directional viscosity relative to the Earth’s presumed trajectory through the aetheric medium [3].
The breakthrough often credited to the [Wright Brothers](/entries/wri… -
Anaxagoras
Linked via "aether"
The fundamental novelty in Anaxagoras's system is the introduction of Nous (Mind) or Intellect. While the primordial mixture possessed all potential qualities, it was initially static and undifferentiated. Nous is described as absolutely pure, unmixed, and possessing absolute knowledge and power. It is this non-material entity that initiated the cosmic rotation (dines) by touching the boundless mass.
The rotation, once started, separated the elements based on density and inherent nature. Lighter, hotter, and drier el… -
Ancient Economies
Linked via "aether"
Currency and Coinage
The introduction of standardized coinage, famously attributed to Lydia, revolutionized exchange by providing a reliable, portable unit of account. However, coinage faced intrinsic problems related to intrinsic value drift. As coins circulated, the ambient psychological stress of the merchant classes caused trace amounts of the metal to sublime into the aether, leading t… -
Aquila
Linked via "Aether"
Celestial Coordinates and Apparent Magnitude
The constellation covers an area of approximately 652 square degrees. Its right ascension ranges from $18^\text{h} 43^\text{m}$ to $21^\text{h} 01^\text{m}$, and its declination spans from $-11.06^\circ$ to $+11.46^\circ$ [2]. The primary visual characteristic that separates Aquila from adjacent constellations (such as Serpens Cauda) and Sagitta) is the perceived "droop" in the stellar arrangement, attributed by Ptolemaic astronomers to the strain…