Greek Science & Astronomy, Part II

Outline

  • Greek astronomy as math, some discoveries
  • Planets as "wanderers," with Ptolemy's mathematical solution
  • world systems since Ptolemy

    1. Archimedes, in legend [Walters Art Gallery]
    2. Archimedes palimpsest [Walters Art Gallery & Christie's Photos]
    3. palimpsest pages, before and after [Walters Art Gallery & Christie's Photos]
    4. Pythagorean triples in China
    5. Eratosthenes' trigonometric method for determining circumference circumference of Earth
    6. Hipparchus [HPS Dept., Cambridge Univ.]

      Mars on January 24, 2002, 9pm, looking SW
      Mars on March 7, 2002, 8:50pm, looking West
    7. Mars retrograde, Oct 1996-July 1997 [Ted Snow, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder]
    8. Venus retrograde
    9. more retrograde [Schombert, Univ. of Oregon]
    10. interpreting retrograde today
    11. earlier, alternative interpretation using epicycles {Robert Hatch & -- Hubert, Univ. of Florida]
    12. system of epicycles
    13. eccentric [Michael Crowe]
    14. Claudius Ptolemy
    15. reconstruction of his world map
    16. his earth-centered system, as interpreted by Peter Apian, 1524 [Schombert, Univ. of Oregon]
    17. problem of unequal times in arcs of orbit [adapted from Michael Crowe]
    18. Ptolemy's equant point [Michael Crowe]
    19. Ptolemy's multiple epicycles [Astron 162, Univ. of Tennesee]
    20. Ptolemy's system with layered epicycles [Schombert, Univ. of Oregon]

    21. Copernicus' alternative
    22. Tycho Brahe and his system -- Gilbert's, too
    23. a family of world systems
    24. Riccioli -- his version of "two great world systems", in contrast to Galileo
    25. Galileo Trial
    26. Pluto as a non-planet? [Smithsonian, March 2002, pp. 72-73 ]

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