Dresden Codex: Way before Copernicus

Astronomer Copernicus, Conversations with God   (PD)

Way before "Venus in Blue Jeans" attracted the attention of songwriter Jack Keller, Venus in Orbit attracted the attention of Mayan priests.

During the first half of the tenth century, a Mayan astronomer therefore tracked the sultry planet’s movements in order to precisely schedule religious ceremonies.

Somehow, these precocious “measurements of the rising and setting of Venus” made their way over to Dresden, Germany – hence the modern name “Dresden Codex.”

Because Mayan hieroglyphics weren't deciphered “until well into the 20^th century,” Copernicus was long thought to be Venus’ first significant other.  Now it appears that the lovely goddess had peeping admirers eons before the 15^th-century astronomer could even pronounce “heliocentric.”

Resources

http://www.livescience.com/55837-mayan-astronomers-made-sophisticated-calculations.html