Hipparchus
Ancient Greece was a place filled with great scientists and mathematicians. Invention and Logic thrived there. It was there in Ancient Greece where Hipparchus lived. Hipparchus was a man of science and a lover of truth. He made many contributions to astronomy. His observations helped shape the world. Many Astronomers in the future would base their studies off his observations. Hipparchus made the world a better place.
Imagine this, you are sailing across the Mediterranean clear bright blue water gently rocks your ship. Suddenly you come upon ruins. The ruins are all that remains of the once great Colossus of Rhodes. After you pass them your ship docks at Rhodes. You look around and see lively markets full of all sorts of things from large freshly caught fish to sparkling diamond rings. I just described to you the city of Rhodes where Hipparchus spent most of his life. Hipparchus was born in Nicera, Bithynia around 190 BC. near present day Turkey. Hipparchus started his career as a weatherman in Bithynia. In 141 BC. he sailed across the Mediterranean to Rhodes. In Rhodes Hipparchus started to study astronomy. From 147 BC. to 127 BC. he made 20 main observations. Hipparchus often visited the city of Alexandria to share his discoveries with other astronomers. He made his last observation on July 7, 127 BC. on lunar positioning. It is believed that Hipparchus died some time after that at about 63 years old. We probably would have never had Hipparchus’s great observations if he had never sailed to Rhodes.
One of the hardest subjects for me to excel in is math. Hipparchus was not only an astronomer but he was also a mathematician. He is known as the Founder of Trigonometry. He used math to help him in his observations. Most of his observations were on the orbit of the sun and moon. He was able to explain why there are four seasons and why the north and south are cold. Apart from being an astronomer Hipparchus was also a critic. In his book “The Commentary of the Phaenomena of Aratus and Endoes” he exploits errors in a popular poem. Hipparchus used his knowledge of math and science to change the world around him.
Hipparchus once said “Astronomy is the first of wisdom” and when you look back on his life you will see that most of it was devoted to Astronomy. Thanks to him we have more knowledge about the solar system. Even though some of Hipparchus’s beliefs were wrong like that the earth was the center of the universe, he still made great discoveries. Hipparchus will forever be known as a great astronomer from Ancient Greece.
