The Rest Is Science What Day Is It, Really?
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Dec 30, 2025 Ever wondered what day it really is? Delve into the quirky history of calendars, from Julius Caesar's blunders to Pope Gregory XIII's reforms. Explore the chaos of timekeeping on Earth and how it affects navigation at sea. Discover why leap seconds exist and how atomic clocks keep us synchronized globally. With a nod to interplanetary time challenges, the hosts remind us that time is a slippery concept shaped by human desire for precision.
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Gregory's Calendar Correction
- The Gregorian calendar fixed Julian drift by skipping 10 days and changing leap-year rules.
- This reform kept Easter aligned with the vernal equinox and improved long-term accuracy.
The Phantom Time Claim
- Heribert Illig proposed the 'phantom time' hypothesis claiming 300 years were fabricated.
- The idea suggested figures like Charlemagne never existed and the Church altered dates to reach year 1000.
Earth And Sky Verify History
- Independent records (tree rings, eclipse simulations, writings) contradict the phantom time idea.
- Dendrochronology and celestial records confirm continuous chronology through the alleged missing centuries.