10 Facts about Aristarchus

Tuesday, March 24th 2015. | Science


Facts about Aristarchus inform you with the Greek mathematician, scholar and astronomer. He was born circa 310 and passed away circa 230 BC. This ancient man was from Samos. He was famous as the astronomer who explained in which the sun was located as the center of the universe. The earth was said to revolve around the earth. Find out more facts about Aristarchus of Samos below:

Facts about Aristarchus 1: Philolaus of Croton

Philolaus of Croton influenced the thinking of Aristarchus. However, he placed the Sun as the central fire of the universe. He also placed other planets including earth in the right order around the sun.

Facts about Aristarchus 2: rejection

He also believed that the stars were just like the sun. Even though his astronomical ideas were believed to be true today, people rejected his belief at that time. The ancient people were more in favor of the Ptolemy and Aristotle’s geocentric theories.

Facts about Aristarchus

Facts about Aristarchus

Facts about Aristarchus 3: The Sand Reckoner

The Sand Reckoner was a book written by Archimedes. This book attempted to describe the work of Aristarchus. He believed that the heliocentric model of Aristarchus could be the alternative for geocentrism.

Facts about Aristarchus 4: the rejection

There were many contemporaries of Aristarchus rejected his heliocentric view. The proof of other people’s rejection can be seen in Plutarch’s On the Apparent Face in the Orb of the Moon.  Plutacrh reported that Aristarchus jokingly told his contemporary named Cleanthes to charge of impiety since he was the opponent of heliocentric model and a worshiper of the sun.

Aristarchus

Aristarchus

Facts about Aristarchus 5: Copernicus

Copernicus is the man who could revive the heliocentric theory successfully. He did it after Johannes Kepler created the Kepler’s law. The law showed the planetary motion in precise accuracy and after Newton presented the laws of gravitational attraction and dynamics.

Facts about Aristarchus 6: On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon

On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon was the only surviving work of Aristarchus. It talks about the angles subtended by the diameter of the sun. It is 2 degrees.

Aristarchus Thought

Aristarchus Thought

Facts about Aristarchus 7: Archimedes and the Sand Reckoner

In The Sand Reckoner, Archimedes said that Aristarchus presented the value of 0.5 degree. Actually the value of Aristarchus is very close. It has the actual value of 32′ or 0.53 degrees. Find out another scientist in facts about Antoine Lavoisier.

Facts about Aristarchus 8: the angle of the sun and moon

Let’s find out the angle of the sun and moon based on the point of view of Aristarchus. He believed that it was 87 degree.

Aristarchus Idea

Aristarchus Idea

Facts about Aristarchus 9: the distance between the sun and moon

He also believed that the distance of the sun was around 18 to 20 times far away from the moon.

Facts about Aristarchus 10: the truth

The true distance of the sun to the moon is 400 times, while the value of the angle is 89 degrees 50’.

Aristarchus Head

Aristarchus Head

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