Translation: Jon Alkorta Martiartu, PhD (UPV/EHU)
A look at the universe
Perhaps the first image that impressed man was the sight of the starry sky at nightfall. With no lights to block the view, man observed how the stars moved and how the seasons changed. Let’s take a look at the mark the stars have left on our cultural imagination.
The first astronomical representation
The first evidence of an astronomical representation is in France and is found in the caves of Lascaux, one of the treasures of prehistoric painting along with Altamira in Cantabria. Specifically, we have the Cave of the Bulls, which dates back approximately 17,000 years. Here we find cave paintings depicting bulls, or rather, aurochs, somewhat larger (we have remains of these animals in the Museum of San Isidro – The origins of Madrid).
We also know that their purpose could be magical. If we look at one of these aurochs we find something very singular: we see inside it a sequence of six points that reminds us of the Pleiades star cluster, which belongs to the constellation of Taurus. So we are looking at a possible prehistoric origin of what would become the constellation of Taurus. It may seem coincidental, but I don’t think so.
Astronomical ceiling in Dendera
The Egyptians
If we look at the pyramids of Giza, they seem to be aligned with the constellation Orion. At least, it is a speculation and the one of many other alignments that are being studied today.
There are also celestial representations in Egyptian tombs: in particular, there is the so-called “Astronomical Ceiling” in the temple of the goddess Hator at Dendera, which dates from the 1st century AD. It was made at the time of the Roman domination. Here we can see a series of gods accompanied by their sign of the zodiac, against a starry sky. The goddess Hator, with a cow’s head and a circle representing the sun between her horns, would be the representation of the Milky Way.
Man and the Universe, by Hildegard of Bingen
In Christianity
We can find many depictions in which God the Father appears to create Heaven, the stars and the Earth in seven days. However, I am going to refer to a very special Christian representation of the universe.
In Germany we have the work of the 12th century mystic Hildegard of Bingen. This woman was ahead of her time and is known for her great wisdom and visionary qualities. She wrote several books, including The Book of Divine Works, in which we find a very significant representation: here the Son of God appears ordering the Cosmos. In the centre, man, representing the microcosm, would be the reflection of the Universe, which would be the macrocosm. To represent this relationship, she draws concentric circles and rays that connect the planets and stars with each of the parts of man’s body. Through this relationship between the Cosmos and man, Hildegard of Bingen would establish medical principles that she would use to cure the sick.
Aztec Sun Stone
In other cultures
In the Aztec empire we know that they were very familiar with the celestial sphere and the movements of the stars. They were therefore able to draw up two calendars: a solar calendar of 365 days and a sacred calendar of only 260 days. On the so-called Sun Stone we can find the sun god Tanatiuh represented in the centre and around him the four eras of creation and destruction. They believed that they were already living in the fifth era, which would be the last, as indeed it was for this Mesoamerican empire.
If we go to millenary China, we can also find traces of this culture’s knowledge of the universe. Specifically in the Ming dynasty, around the 15th century, we find a book that collects 800 images of different astronomical events and their astrological consequences. Thus, we can see the planets and their movements, constellations, sunspots and meteorological events. In addition, fantastic phenomena are depicted: meat falling from the sky, dragons and raining coins. Each of these has a corresponding explanation that clarifies their meaning.
Scientific knowledge of the sky
Of course, Leonardo da Vinci had to be one of the first to try to explain the reasons behind astronomical phenomena. In the so-called Leicester Codex (the most expensive book in the world, now in the possession of Bill Gates), Leonardo drew a series of diagrams through which he tried to explain the phases of the moon according to its position in relation to the sun. This would be one of man’s first explanations as to why the moon looks different every night. But it was not until 1609 that Galileo invented the telescope.
Cyrano de Bergerac. The Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon and the Sun, 1687.
The moon
Now a very curious anecdote about the idea of reaching the moon. In 17th century France we find the description given by a famous writer of how man could visit the moon and the sun. This is Cyrano de Bergerac’s The Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon and the Sun of 1687. It is a satire of humanity in which man, by means of a kind of spherical machine, could travel to the moon and the sun. In one of the engravings in this book, we can see a man ascending to the heavens in a kind of transparent capsule. This work has been considered one of the precedents of science fiction.
And of course, the great milestone in the history of contemporary astronomy: on 21 July 1969, man finally landed on the moon. It was with the Apollo XI mission. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on our satellite. Perhaps one of the most iconic images that represents this small step for man and great step for mankind is the photograph of Aldrin’s footprint on lunar soil.
OpenEdition le sugiere que cite este post de la siguiente manera:
Dr. Pedro Ortega (3 de agosto de 2023). Una mirada al universo. El blog de Tartalo. Recuperado 19 de marzo de 2025 de https://doi.org/10.58079/unvt