(urth) Crotali

[Jeff Wilson]

On 6/19/2010 8:02 PM, Mr Thalassocrat wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 9:40 AM, Jane Delawney <jane_delawney at sky.com
> <mailto:jane_delawney at sky.com>> wrote:
>
>     We know already that in the time of the Conciliator
>     temperate-climate crops extend some way 'south' (or whatever:) ) of
>     where they are found in Severian's day (he remarks on the occurrence
>     of apple-orchards way 'south' of where he remembers), and of course
>     the time of Apu-Punchau is millennia earlier. But postulating a
>     longer summer and growing season is surely not enough to bring the
>     stars of deepest winter (the name crotali, 'the rattles' according
>     to Andre-Driussi, though I confess to ignorance as the language
>     involved, seems to be related directly to the rattling together of
>     icicles in the wind, I have no idea which if any of our present
>     constellations may be involved) into summer. The implication seems
>     to be clear that what Severian knew as winter is now summer. The
>     only explanation that I can see here is that the poles, the
>     hemispheres themselves, are not arranged as Sev knew them in his
>     original place and time.
>
> I just assumed that he has travelled so far back in time that the proper
> motions of the stars had carried them far away from their positions in
> his own day.

Most constallations' component stars have no physical association among 
them and only appear to lie closely together as seen from Earth. This 
lack of unity means proper motion will make them unrecognizable and/or 
disperse them entirely.

Precession of the equinoxes however takes place on a shorter scale, 
currently a bit under about 26,000 years per full ciruit of pole stars. 
This implies that Apu Punchau is about 13,000 years before Severian, or 
39,000, or 65,000 or 91,000...

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >