Sir Francis Drake, the famous English explorer and privateer who terrorized Spanish ships and circumnavigated the globe, is a figure shrouded in legend. However, delving deeper into his life reveals a man with a surprising intellectual curiosity, one that extended far beyond plunder and conquest.
Recent research on his life conducted by Robert L. Stupack, the author of “Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake,” stated that Drake, despite lacking formal education, harbored a lifelong fascination with science, particularly the shape of the Earth and the nature of its magnetic field.
That being said. Unlike the prevailing view of a spherical Earth, Drake believed it (and its magnetic field) resembled a dodecahedron, a 12-sided polyhedron. This theory wasn’t entirely original; it echoed the ideas of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher, who envisioned the universe as a three-dimensional dodecahedron. For Drake, proving this geometric structure held immense significance – it would impact numerous formulas related to time and space.
While religiously devout, Drake embraced Copernicus’ revolutionary heliocentric model, where the planets revolved around the Sun. However, he wasn’t content with just accepting this concept. He sought to represent the actual motion patterns using precise calculations that considered the diameters and speeds of celestial bodies’ movements (both their revolutions and orbits).
Drake’s scientific zeal extended beyond planetary motion. He recognized the need for a third circular motion in some cases to achieve accurate calculations. He envisioned measuring the Sun, Moon, and Saturn (the farthest known planet at the time) to determine the angles at which sunlight entered Earth’s magnetic field, ultimately revealing its true shape.
Drake’s scientific endeavors weren’t mere armchair musings. He employed an astrolabe, a sophisticated instrument for measuring astronomical positions, and the technique of triangulation to create detailed celestial charts, maps, and data crucial for his calculations. He understood the intrinsic connection between time and distance, basing his calculations on the core of celestial bodies rather than their surfaces.
Drake wasn’t content with simply understanding the cyclical nature of eclipses (as the Babylonians had done with their Saros Cycle). He yearned to unravel the very mechanism behind these celestial phenomena. The slight discrepancy between the Saros cycle and the Metonic cycle (another astronomical timing system) piqued his curiosity. He theorized that precise measurements of total solar eclipses, free from the distortion of reflected moonlight, might hold the key to this age-old mystery.
Many of Drake’s voyages were meticulously timed to coincide with total solar eclipses. These observations provided him with the data needed to calculate the angles of sunlight’s passage through space and its entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The results, according to his interpretations, validated Pythagoras’ idea of the Earth’s dodecahedral form.
While some of Drake’s theories might seem unconventional in light of modern science, they reveal a man ahead of his time. His intellectual pursuits resonate with the work of figures like Buckminster Fuller and Leonardo da Vinci, who also explored the concept of “Divine Geometries.” Drake’s scientific curiosity, fueled by meticulous observations and a thirst for knowledge, challenges the stereotypical image of a ruthless pirate. He emerges as a complex figure, a man driven not just by avarice and conquest but by a genuine desire to understand the universe around him.
To know more about Sir Francis Drake and his many adventures, including the unearthing of a missing set of tools believed to have been used in the creation of his famous Plates of Brass, read “Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake.”
“Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake” takes us on a real-life journey filled with dangerous discoveries as Robert L. Stupack embarks on a relentless quest for buried treasure beneath his property. Starting off with a typical day of lawn mowing, Stupack discovers a series of items that eventually lead to the discovery of missing tools used to create the controversial artifact, Sir Francis Drake’s Plate of Brass, and shows how the world has been deceived about its authenticity, adding layers of intrigue to the captivating tale.
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