Aristarchus of Samos

Aristarchus of Samos (ˌærəˈstɑrkəs; Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ Σάμιος, Aristarkhos ho Samios; 310-230 BCE) was an ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician who presented the first known heliocentric model that placed the Sun at the center of the known universe, with the Earth revolving around the Sun once a year and rotating about its axis once a day. He was a student of Strato of Lampsacus, who was the third head of the Peripatetic School in Greece. According to Ptolemy, during Aristarchus' time there, he observed the summer solstice of 280 BCE. Along with his contributions to the heliocentric model, as reported by Vitruvius, he created two separate sundials: one that is a flat disc; and one hemispherical. Aristarchus was influenced by the concept presented by Philolaus of Croton (c. 470 – 385 BCE) of a fire at the center of the universe, but Aristarchus identified the "central fire" with the Sun and he put the other planets in their correct order of distance around the Sun. Like Anaxagoras before him, Aristarchus suspected that the stars were just other bodies like the Sun, albeit farther away from Earth. His astronomical ideas were often rejected in favor of the geocentric theories of Aristotle and Ptolemy. Nicolaus Copernicus knew about the possibility that Aristarchus had a 'moving Earth' theory, although it is unlikely that Copernicus was aware that it was a heliocentric theory. Aristarchus estimated the sizes of the Sun and Moon as compared to Earth's size. He also estimated the distances from the Earth to the Sun and Moon. He is considered one of the greatest astronomers of antiquity along with Hipparchus. Heliocentrism The original text has been lost, but a reference in a book by Archimedes, entitled The Sand Reckoner (Archimedis Syracusani Arenarius & Dimensio Circuli), describes a work in which Aristarchus advanced the heliocentric model as an alternative hypothesis to geocentrism: You are now aware ['you' being King Gelon] that the "universe" is the name given by most astronomers to the sphere the centre of which is the centre of the earth, while its radius is equal to the straight line between the centre of the sun and the centre of the earth.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (2)

Related concepts (19)

Related lectures (15)

Heliocentrism

Heliocentrism (also known as the Heliocentric model) is the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center of the universe. Historically, heliocentrism was opposed to geocentrism, which placed the Earth at the center. The notion that the Earth revolves around the Sun had been proposed as early as the third century BC by Aristarchus of Samos, who had been influenced by a concept presented by Philolaus of Croton (c. 470 – 385 BC).

Galileo Galilei

Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei (ˌɡælᵻˈleɪoʊ_ˌɡælᵻˈleɪ , USalsoˌɡælᵻˈliːoʊ_- , ɡaliˈlɛːo ɡaliˈlɛi) or simply Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. He was born in the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence. Galileo has been called the father of observational astronomy, modern-era classical physics, the scientific method, and modern science.

Geometry

Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is called a geometer. Until the 19th century, geometry was almost exclusively devoted to Euclidean geometry, which includes the notions of point, line, plane, distance, angle, surface, and curve, as fundamental concepts.

The Pristine survey - XVII. The C-19 stream is dynamically hot and more extended than previously thought

Pascale Jablonka, Carmela Lardo

The C-19 stream is the most metal-poor stellar system ever discovered, with a mean metallicity [Fe/H] = -3.38 +/- 0.06. Its low metallicity dispersion (sigma([Fe/H]) < 0.18 at the 95 per cent confidence level) and variations in sodium abundances strongly s ...

OXFORD UNIV PRESS2022

The Pristine Survey - VIII. The metallicity distribution function of the Milky Way halo down to the extremely metal-poor regime

Pascale Jablonka, Carmela Lardo

The Pristine survey uses narrow-band photometry to derive precise metallicities down to the extremely metal-poor regime ([Fe/H]

OXFORD UNIV PRESS2020

Explores the transition from ancient spherical models to Kepler's ellipses in astronomy.

Explores pseudo-sciences, alter-sciences, and cognitive marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for critical evaluation of scientific claims and beliefs.

Delves into Galileo's defense of the heliocentric theory against the geocentric model and the lasting impact on science and religion.