CfA Colloquium Ivano Dal Prete (Yale University)

Ivano Dal Prete (Yale University)

"The Moon Deluge and other Otherworldly Catastrophes. Astronomy and Earth History at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century"

The idea that other planetary bodies can enlighten the geological history of the Earth is hardly a recent concept. Since antiquity, the action of the Sun, the Moon and other celestial objects was regarded as the root cause of climatic and geological change. The invention of the telescope (re)ignited speculation on extra-terrestrial life and its implications for the origins of humankind. At the turn of the eighteenth century, planetary astronomy became heavily embroiled in controversies on the physical reality of the Genesis Flood. Astronomers, philosophers, and theologians looked at the rugged surface of the Moon in search of evidence for other Deluges sent to punish other sinful humanities. Close encounters with comets seemed plausible agents of the biblical catastrophe and of the final Armageddon. Conversely, the enigmatic markings of Mars and Venus suggested sudden geological revolutions that could explain the origin of marine fossils without any need for a global inundation. The validation and interpretation of astronomical data reflected the cultural assumptions and societal norms of the time, raising questions that are now more relevant than ever on what constitutes a scientific “fact” and how it comes to be accepted – or rejected – across the broader society.