NavList:

Andrés, you wrote:
"And about Ken Follet, 5000 years ago, Polaris was not the North Star due the precession of the equinoxes."

Ah, yes. There's another Wikipedia issue under that one, too. Of course, there was "a" North Star 5000 years ago, and anyone living under dark skies (so, actually "anyone") with good eyesight could have seen that minor star in Draco, now known as Thuban. At the same time, Kochab was good enough for "practical navigation" and considerably brighter. The "lore" of amateur astronomy repeats the story of Thuban as "the" north star 5000 years ago, thanks in large measure to Charles Piazzi Smyth, that 19th century astronomer, son of astronomer, named (middle name) after yet another astronomer, who fell off the rational pinnacle into the swamp of Christian Pyramidology. Without him, Thuban would be forgotten.

But which "north star"? Would a Briton 4500-5000 years ago have used a "north star", any "north star"? Quite possibly... Not Polaris, of course. Would it have been Thuban? Pretty faint, but right around 2798 BC (-ish), it would have been just a tenth of a degree from the celestial pole. For a careful observer, the alignment would have been impressive. How do I know Thuban was so close in that year? Well, I wouldn't trust the poorly sourced article on Thuban on "open source" Wikipedia. Instead I'm trusting "open source" Stellarium. Heh! Truth is, they could easily both be wrong. In either case, Thuban isn't very bright, and with Kochab close by, if one were trying to "navigate" the hills and woods of the future "England" back then, keeping Kochab on your left would work nicely to make sure you're walking east. :)

How is the book? Are you enjoying it?

Frank Reed