Greek Astronomers
Aristarchos of Samos
THALES OF MILETUS (640-546 BC): was the first Greek astronomer. He came from Ionia, which is on the coast of present-day Turkey (Asia Minor). Thales is best known for predicting a solar eclipse that occurred on May 28th in the year 585 B.C (Before Christ).
PYTHAGORAS OF SAMOS (580-490 BC): was actually a mathematician but his theories had vast impact on the field of astronomy. He believed that an integer could be assigned to anything in the cosmos. He claimed this because everything in the heavens seemed to act according to a pattern, such as the regular cycles of the Sun and Moon.
ARISTARCHUS OF SAMOS (320 - 250 BC): was a Greek astronomer and mathematician. He is the first person we know of, who proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system, placing the Sun , not Earth, at the centre of the known universe. He also determined that the planet Mercury was the closest to the Sun.
HIPPARCHUS OF RHODES (190 - 120 BC): was a creative and talented astronomer. He divided the stars that he could see into classes of apparent brightness. He estimated the size and distance of the Moon and found a way to predict eclipses.
Check if you understand the meanings of these words from this document
To predict: to say that something will happen before it happens.
Actually: in reality.
Vast impact: huge effect.
Integer: a whole number like 5. The opposite is a fraction or decimal number like 2/5 or 3,5.
To assign: to associate or connect with.
For further reading visit:
List of Greek Astronomers
Timeline of Greek Astronomy
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