Long regarded as an astrologer and the greatest prophet of the middle ages, not until recently was it realised that he had impressive credentials as an observational astronomer, and had actually invented the telescope before the birth of Galileo.
These two great figures are connected, as it is through Galileo that the truth is now known.
Late in 1999, conservators from the Italian Government Ministry of Ancient Monuments were carrying out renovations in the house in Florence where Galileo died in 1642 and discovered some manuscripts behind a false wall in the great man’s study, one of which related to an earlier, lost work, of Nostradamus which had come into his possession when the latter’s granddaughter worked for him as housekeeper in 1608.
This work made it clear that, as well as being an Astrologer, Nostradamus had been the first observational astronomer through his invention of the telescope in 1531.
Historians had long known that Nostradamus the Seer had been famed throughout Provence for the perfection of his pair of crystal balls, but Galileo’s notes showed that the lower ball was actually concave, and the upper convex. Strictly speaking, they were lenses, but the language of the day could not cope with this new concept so they were arbitrarily known as "Balls".
It was this revelation that enabled Galileo to build his first telescope, rather than rumours from Holland. The second revelation was the true nature of Nostradamus’ quatrains.
Long regarded as cryptic prophecies, which for centuries had people, often those a few sandwiches short of a picnic, trying to use to foretell the future, but only managing to bend them a bit to make them apply to recently past events, these verses were actually Nostradamus’ observational notes in code, written in this way to escape the attentions of the Inquisition, which had been pursuing him since 1537.
Galileo was able to translate many of these verses as he had the code from the lost manuscript. Examples are below:
PF10: "For how long a time and how often have I predicted what has come to pass, and in the particular regions" - This verse records how he had been able to predict both lunar and solar eclipses, and to even map out the regions in which the eclipses were visible.
PF22: "Approaches us: it comes to us like rays of the sun casting influences on bodies both elementary and non elementary" - He recognised that the moon and planetes shone with reflected sunlight, and the origins of Aurora.
PF27: "But, my son, I speak here a little too obscurely; as for the hidden prophecies which come to us by the subtle spirit of fire, sometinmes through judgment being disturbed in contemplating the remotest of stars" - These words relate to his observations and predictions of the occultations and transits of Jupiter's moons.
PF61: "But many times a week I am overtaken by a prophetic ecstasy, and by means of exhaustive calculation, having undertaken my nocturnal studies within an agreeable fragrance" - he had computed the laws of planetary motion.
IQ51: "Head of Aries, Jupiter and Saturn Eternal God what changes. Then the bad times return after a long century, What turmoil in France and Italy" - Here, he forecasts the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn in Aries of 1583, 1702, and 1995. The fact that France and Italy are ALWAYS in turmoil just emphasises the eternal nature of such events.
IQ69: "The great mountain, 4,247 feet in circumference, After peace,war, famine, flooding: will spread far, drowning great countries, Even antiquities and their mighty foundations" -This represents the first observation and orbit calculations of asteroid 1989FC, with appreciation of the implications of possible impact with earth.
PF79: "There will fall from the sky such a great amount of fire and flaming meteorites that nothing will remain unconsumed" - he had computed the periodic nature of the Leonid meteor shower and was predicting the forthcoming maxima.
6Q35: "Near the Bear Constellations and near the Milky Way, Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Mars, Jupiter and the Sun will burn up the great plain. Woods and cities, letters hidden in the candle light" - Here he complains about urban light pollution which was hampering his observations even in the 16th century.
7Q2: "Opened by Mars Arles will not give war, By night will the soldiers be astonished: Black, white to indigo concealed on land, Under the sacred shadow you will see traitors and ring" - Nostradamus and several military friends were the first to observe surface details on Mars, though it is not certain that they saw the "canals".
Painstaking analysis of the rest of his verses reveals the same - i.e., first-class observational astronomy in code. President George W. Bush is rumoured to be so impressed that he has proposed naming a new telescope in Austin, Texas, after the great Astronomer, while soothsayers world wide are making appointments with their shrinks for urgent therapy.