Wikipedia
Astronomica is the name of two different classical works from approximately the early 1st century AD:
- Astronomica by Marcus Manilius
- De astronomica by Gaius Julius Hyginus
- Astronomica (album), a 1999 album by the American progressive metal band Crimson Glory
- Astronomica: The Quest for the Edge of the Universe, a 1994 educational game by Hyper-Quest, Inc.
Astronomica is the fourth album by the American progressive metal band Crimson Glory, released in 1999 via Spitfire Records (USA) and Rising Sun (Europe). After a long hiatus following their less-than-successful album Strange and Beautiful, the band reformed with Wade Black on vocals and Steve Wacholz (of Savatage fame) on drums. Although he is pictured in the album artwork (with the intention of being the new drummer), Wacholz never actually played on the record - a drum machine was used. Wade Black's vocal delivery was not appreciated by all fans, who were accustomed to Midnight's voice. Still, the album was greeted as a successful comeback.
The Astronomica (also known as the Astronomicon) is a Latin epic probably written by a Roman poet named Marcus Manilius sometime during the reign of either Caesar Augustus or Tiberius. Comprising five books, the work describes celestial phenomena so as to explicate the zodiac and astrology. The poemwhich seems to have been inspired by Lucretius's Epicurean poem De rerum naturaespouses a Stoic and deterministic understanding of the world and the cosmos.
Not much is known about Manilius. He was not quoted by any extant Latin author (that is, a Latin author whose works exist today), but it is believed that the Astronomica was read by many, including Lucan, Petronius, Titus Calpurnius Siculus, Tertullian, Claudian, and Julius Firmicus Maternus. The work was rediscovered by the Italian humanist Poggio Bracciolini AD 1416–1417. While it was read and commented upon, the poem never reached the same level of popularity as other Classical Latin epics. Despite being neglected by scholars for many centuries, modern scholarship has taken a renewed interest in the poem.