The Astro-Physics of Discworld

[Cheery]

It would actually be logical to be called like this.

[Sjoerd3000]

It would so I'm guessing it's right just wish I knew in which book it's mentioned

[Cheery]

Could it be Light Fantastic? I remember some octa-thing in that book. Or Equal Rites, but I'm not sure.

[Sjoerd3000]

It could be. Or it could be Octarine the eight colour Best to read them to be sure

[Cheery]

I'll probably forget to look for it

[Tonyblack]

From the New Discworld Companion:

By the standard reckoning, there are thirteen months in the year - Offle, February, March, April May, June, Grune, August, Spune, Sektober, Ember, December and Ick. there are eight days in a week, Octeday being the eighth.

[Cheery]

Ick.

[kakaze]

It's mentioned in Pyramids and Going Postal.

Octeday afternoons was Political Expediency with Lady T'malia, one of the few women to achieve high office in the Guild. In the lands around the Circle Sea it was generally agreed that one way to achieve a long life was not to have a meal with her Ladyship. The jewellery of one hand alone carried enough poison to inhume a small town. She was stunningly beautiful, but with the kind of calculated beauty that is achieved by a team of skilled artists, manicurists, plasterers, corsetiers and dressmakers and three hours' solid work every morning. When she walked there was a faint squeak of whalebone under incredible stress.

‘I said that's enough, Stanley! Now, just raise that lamp again, will you? Good. That's better. I'll read a page of the Regulations, that always quietens them down.' Groat cleared his throat. ‘I shall now read from the Book of Regulations, Delivery Times (Metropolitan) (Sundays and Octedays excepted),' he announced to the air. ‘As follows: "The hours by which letters should be put into the receiving houses in town for each delivery within the city walls of Ankh-Morpork are as the following: overnight by eight o'clock in the evening, for the first delivery. Morning by eight o'clock, for the second delivery. Morning by ten o'clock, for the third delivery. Morning by twelve o'clock, for the fourth delivery. Afternoon by two o'clock, for the fifth delivery. Afternoon by four o'clock, for the sixth delivery. Afternoon by six o'clock, for the seventh delivery." These are the hours, and I have read them.' Groat hung his head for a moment, and then he closed the book with a snap.

I think that, once he established the system in the first book, kept it but just didn't mention it again.

This way he didn't need to actively change anything (and therefore admit a mistake) or burn any bridges for future ideas.




On a side note, did you know that the calendar that we use now is based on the Roman Calendar?

It had 10 months (March through December) and 300 days and one of the emperors decided that this was stupid and added two new months to the beginning of the year. This year had over 400 days in it and was known as "The year of confusion" because nobody knew what the date was!

This is why you meet people named March, April, May, June, July, and August (like Augustine or Agustus), because those months were named after gods or kings or something.

September through December are just numbers. "September" actually means "seventh month". This is why you never meet anyone named January, February, September, October, November, or December.

It's true!

[Sjoerd3000]

July was original called Quintilis meaning fifth month later it was named after Julius Caesar. August was called Sextilis untill it was renamed to honour emperor Augustus. King Numa Pompilius added January and February.

[Jan Van Quirm]

I'm vaguely remembering that Terry DID deal with this again in the Hogfather (I re-read it a few months back when I was setting up that Mafia game ) and that there's some sort of 'mirror' festival for Hogswatchnight around the 400 day marker which maybe's something along the lines of a summer solstice. I do know he put in some celebratory highpoints for the 8 seasons calendar in CoM?

Haven't got time to look it up now so over to you lot!

[poohbcarrot]

The little moon shines by it's own light, owing to cramped and rather inefficient astronomical arrangements.

That explains how it's possible to get a crescent moon, which was bugging me, coz if the moon were lit by the "sunlet", a crescent would have been impossible!

[Tonyblack]

That one is one I've wondered as well. Tiffany's 'gibbous moon' shouldn't be possible on Discworld.

[Sjoerd3000]

I'm vaguely remembering that Terry DID deal with this again in the Hogfather (I re-read it a few months back when I was setting up that Mafia game ) and that there's some sort of 'mirror' festival for Hogswatchnight around the 400 day marker which maybe's something along the lines of a summer solstice. I do know he put in some celebratory highpoints for the 8 seasons calendar in CoM?

Haven't got time to look it up now so over to you lot!

I do remember something about the agriculture year being 400 days and that the agriculture year is mostly used(at least in Ankh-Morpork) So there probaly is a 'mirror' Hogswatchnight around the 400 days marker

[kakaze]

I'm vaguely remembering that Terry DID deal with this again in the Hogfather (I re-read it a few months back when I was setting up that Mafia game ) and that there's some sort of 'mirror' festival for Hogswatchnight around the 400 day marker which maybe's something along the lines of a summer solstice. I do know he put in some celebratory highpoints for the 8 seasons calendar in CoM?

Haven't got time to look it up now so over to you lot!

I do remember something about the agriculture year being 400 days and that the agriculture year is mostly used(at least in Ankh-Morpork) So there probaly is a 'mirror' Hogswatchnight around the 400 days marker

That would be "Crueltide".