wnsdpod

Ep 159 - Weird Medieval 2: Medieval Supernovae

Added 2024-03-22 18:56:25 +0000 UTC

patrons, here's your ad-free version of this week's regular episode, we answer a question from Gafsey.

note: earlier this week, we enable the community chat feature that can be accessed via the Patreon phone app. this was done to let everyone know the episode this week would be delayed. feel free to use the chat to talk about whatever, we will mostly use it for announcements that don't need to be full-on posts. the Discord is also still going strong if you're looking for more chat!

we're back with the second episode of our Weird Medieval series and this time we're talking about space. in recorded history, only eight possible supernovae within the Milky Way have ever been witnessed by direct observation, and three of them occurred during the Middle Ages. we talk about those supernovae, what made them special, and how one was finally confirmed as a supernova just three years ago! then we turn to the Roman Catholic Church and remark on how weird it is that the Church not only stayed united but that it became hegemonic over an entire continent and intertwined with existing governments to help prop it all up. even weirder still is the fact that this hegemony lasted for hundreds of years and couldn't lasted even longer if they could've just stopped with the indulgences. also, the Hussites, because they're weird too. check it out!