The point of a "useful model" in that sense is that it makes actual predictions, not that it was fun or even illuminating to think about. Aether was not a "usef

The point of a "useful model" in that sense is that it makes actual predictions, not that it was fun or even illuminating to think about. Aether was not a "useful model" because thinking about it led to its own repudiation. Astrology fails this test.