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3. Tropes and the Literary-Scientific Revolution: Forms of Proof.

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Subjects
*SEVENTEENTH century, *SIXTEENTH century, *SCIENTIFIC method
Abstract

The article is a book review of "Tropes and the Literary-Scientific Revolution: Forms of Proof" by Michael Slater, which explores the relationship between the New Science and language and literature in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It argues that scientific concepts of the time influenced literary tropes, with a focus on Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." The reviewer criticizes the book for omitting important context and not addressing other types of allegory. The text also discusses the use of allegory in "Hamlet," highlighting its moral, political, and scientific dimensions. It suggests that Shakespeare defies traditional literary norms and advocates for a new cosmic order. However, it questions the characterization of "Hamlet" as a naive allegory and provides corrections and additions to the discussion of astronomical history and culture in the play. The text is a valuable source for scientists interested in the use of tropes in a scientific context. The second article, "Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life: New Frontiers in Science and Religion," is a scholarly book that explores the impact of astronomy on society and the role of theology in shaping worldviews. It specifically focuses on the theological and religious connections to the debate on extraterrestrial life. The book examines how the study of the heavens has influenced cosmological worldviews throughout history and how our understanding of the universe continues to shape our perspective on life and our place in it. It provides a comprehensive examination of these topics and their significance in both [Extracted from the article]

Published
2024
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6. Shakespeare’s Knowledge of Astronomy and the Birth of Modern Cosmology

Author

Usher, Peter D., Usher, Peter D., Usher, Peter D., and Usher, Peter D.

Abstract

In a novel reading of Shakespeare’s plays, this book addresses an observation first made many decades ago, that Shakespeare appears to neglect the intellectual upheavals that astronomy brought about in his lifetime. The author examines temporal, situational, and verbal anomalies in Hamlet and other plays using hermeneutic-dialectic methodology, and finds a consistent pattern of interpretation that is compatible with the history of astronomy and with the development of modern cosmology. He also demonstrates how Shakespeare takes into account beliefs about the nature of the heavens from the time of Pythagoras up to and including discoveries and theories in the first decade of the seventeenth century. The book makes the case that, as in many other fields, Shakespeare’s celestial knowledge is far beyond what was commonly known at the time. Students and teachers interested in Shakespeare’s alleged indifference towards, or ignorance of, the celestial sciences will find this book illuminating, as will historians of science and scholars whose work focuses on epistemology and its relationship to the canon, and on how Shakespeare acquired the data that his plays deliver.

Published
2021

9. Shakespeare's cosmic world view

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Subjects
Cosmology -- Analysis, Astronomy
Abstract

The astronomical references in some passages of the works of William Shakespeare, Bard of Avon, show that he was aware of the concept of heliocentrism and an infinite universe. Shakespeare often mentioned celestial phenomena in his work and followed the geocentric model of Ptolemy. He referred to the rising sun and to the morning hours occasionally and drew parallels between human faults and celestial events. Unlike astronomy, he rarely mentioned alchemy, in his works.

Published
1997

10. Shakespeare and Saturn : Accounting for Appearances

Author

Usher, Peter D., Usher, Peter D., Usher, Peter D., and Usher, Peter D.

Abstract

In the mid-sixteenth century, Copernicus asserted that the Earth was not the center of the universe as was generally believed, but that the sun lay there instead. The relegation of the Earth to the rank of an orbiting planet meant that humankind lost its privileged position as well, thus prompting re-evaluation of all facets of human existence. This transformation in worldview gathered momentum throughout Shakespeare’s writing career, yet his canon appears to lack reference to it. Peter D. Usher has studied Hamlet and other Shakespearean plays and has uncovered a consistent pattern of reference to phenomena that prove the correctness of the new worldview, including reference to the infinite universe of stars. These data could not have been known without telescopic aid, which indicates that systematic telescopic study of celestial objects began before the generally accepted date of 1610. In Shakespeare and Saturn, Usher summarizes earlier results and shows that in All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare takes account of the last supernova eruption of 1604 known to have occurred in the Milky Way galaxy. He shows further that in Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors Shakespeare makes observations concerning Saturn’s spectacular ring system that are remarkably accurate.

Published
2015

12. Photometric theory for wide-angle phenomena

Author

Usher, Peter D

Subjects
Astrophysics
Abstract

An examination is made of the problem posed by wide-angle photographic photometry, in order to extract a photometric-morphological history of Comet P/Halley. Photometric solutions are presently achieved over wide angles through a generalization of an assumption-free moment-sum method. Standard stars in the field allow a complete solution to be obtained for extinction, sky brightness, and the characteristic curve. After formulating Newton's method for the solution of the general nonlinear least-square problem, an implementation is undertaken for a canonical data set. Attention is given to the problem of random and systematic photometric errors.

Published
1990
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19. The Merchant of Veniceand the Paschal Moon

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Abstract

The Merchant of Venicecontains a puzzling passage by Lancelot Gobbo that refers to Ash Wednesday and Easter Monday, two dates in the Christian religious calendar. The passage is nonsensical, yet it is a commonplace that the utterances of Shakespeare’s clowns are often noteworthy. This paper notes that Lancelot refers to an unusual four-fold coincidence of Passover with Easter Monday, the former on the correct Gregorian calendar, the latter on the outdated Julian calendar. The interpretation is tested and leads to the determination of the dramatic time of the play which with other evidence from the script suggests that the paschal moon of 14 Nisan 5357 (April 2, 1597) is a crux of the play. The resulting timeline is consistent with events in the script and leads to a new interpretation for Old Gobbo’s dish of doves. The timeline leads also to a solution for a question on equity and the law.

Published
2020
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24. Theory of wide-angle photometry from standard stars

Author

Usher, Peter D

Subjects
Astronomy
Abstract

Wide angle celestial structures, such as bright comet tails and nearby galaxies and clusters of galaxies, rely on photographic methods for quantified morphology and photometry, primarily because electronic devices with comparable resolution and sky coverage are beyond current technological capability. The problem of the photometry of extended structures and of how this problem may be overcome through calibration by photometric standard stars is examined. The perfect properties of the ideal field of view are stated in the guise of a radiometric paraxial approximation, in the hope that fields of view of actual telescopes will conform. Fundamental radiometric concepts are worked through before the issue of atmospheric attenuation is addressed. The independence of observed atmospheric extinction and surface brightness leads off the quest for formal solutions to the problem of surface photometry. Methods and problems of solution are discussed. The spectre is confronted in the spirit of standard stars and shown to be chimerical in that light, provided certain rituals are adopted. After a brief discussion of Baker-Sampson polynomials and the vexing issue of saturation, a pursuit is made of actual numbers to be expected in real cases. While the numbers crunched are gathered ex nihilo, they demonstrate the feasibility of Newton's method in the solution of this overdetermined, nonlinear, least square, multiparametric, photometric problem.

Published
1989

25. Faint blue objects at high Galactic latitude. V - Palomar Schmidt field centered on selected area 71

Author

Usher, Peter D, Mitchell, Kenneth J, and Warnock, Archibald, III

Subjects
Astronomy
Abstract

Starlike objects with both blue and ultraviolet excess have been selected from a Palomar 1.2 m Schmidt field centered on Kapteyn selected area 71. The method of selection is that used in the previous papers of this series, but modified to account for the differential reddening that occurs across the field. The color classes, color subclasses, positions, and magnitudes of the selected objects are listed.

Published
1988
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26. Thomas Digges's Perception of Stellar Sizes and Distances.

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Subjects
*STAR observations, *EXTRAGALACTIC distances, *COSMOLOGICAL distances, *HELIOCENTRIC model (Astronomy), *SOLAR system, *TELESCOPES
Abstract

The article explains the view of astronomer Thomas Digges on measuring stellar sizes and distances of planets and stars. Topics covered include the model of Digges addressing the concept of stellar sizes and distances through the Copernican theory of the solar system, the stellar radii concept in relation to distances between stars as studied by astronomer Tycho Brahe, and the connection of the concepts of Digges on stellar size and distance towards development of telescopes.

Published
2014

31. Kepler's Supernova and Shakespeare's All's Well.

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Subjects
*SUPERNOVAE, *CELESTIAL sphere, *MARS (Planet)
Abstract

The opening scene of William Shakespeare's play All's Well that Ends Well contains a reference to a "bright particular star." This we identify with Kepler's Supernova, which was first observed on 1604 October 9. The identification is supported by additional material in the script, as well as independent evidence that the play was written sometime in the interval 1603-1605. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2013

43. In the presence of the creator

Author

Usher, Peter D.

Subjects
In The Presence Of The Creator (Book) -- Book reviews, Books -- Book reviews
Published
1985

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