An ancient book on astronomy from the 1500s sold for more than £10,000 ($12,200), as a "private international buyer" triumphed over intense competition at a U.K. auction. The Castle of Knowledge by ...

Astronomers in the 16th through 19th centuries used to wear rings that unfolded to become instruments used for calculations. The rings, which looked like normal finger rings, were actually armillary ...

The Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who lived around 120 BCE, usually gets credit for discovering the equinoxes and their relationship to the zodiac constellations. But in a controversial new study, ...

How did Egyptians know how to build the pyramids? Ricardo Liberato/wikimedia, CC BY-ND Ever since humans could look up to see the sky, we have been amazed by its beauty and untold mysteries. Naturally ...

Indigenous populations globally possess ancient, intergenerational celestial knowledge, including "dark constellations," deeply integrated with their land, culture, and practical life, which is ...

An unusual depiction of the ancient Egyptian sky goddess Nut may include a representation of the "Dark River" or "Great Rift"—the band along the Milky Way caused by dust clouds. This is the conclusion ...

Before modern science had a true understanding of what a solar eclipse is and how they work, ancient cultures had to form their own beliefs over what happened during this brief, but awesome, event.

Before telescopes, ancient Greek astronomers relied on naked-eye observations of the night sky to understand the universe around them. The meticulous star catalog belonging to one of the best of these ...

In 1900 diver Elias Stadiatis, clad in a copper and brass helmet and a heavy canvas suit, emerged from the sea shaking in fear and mumbling about a “heap of dead naked people.” He was among a group of ...