Hipparchus (c. 190–120 BCE) Flashcards
Where was Hipparchus born?
Nicaea (modern-day Iznik, Turkey)
During what time period did Hipparchus live?
c. 190–120 BCE
What was Hipparchus’s most significant contribution to astronomy?
He created the first known star catalog.
What mathematical tool did Hipparchus invent?
The first known trigonometric table.
What important astronomical phenomenon did Hipparchus discover?
The precession of the equinoxes.
How did Hipparchus contribute to the prediction of eclipses?
He made accurate predictions using mathematical models of their cycles.
What system did Hipparchus help develop in geography?
He contributed to early concepts of latitude and longitude.
Which later astronomer was heavily influenced by Hipparchus’s work?
Claudius Ptolemy
What was Hipparchus’s relationship with Babylonian astronomy?
He was influenced by Babylonian records of celestial phenomena.
How are Hipparchus’s contributions remembered today?
He is honored as one of the greatest ancient astronomers, with a lunar crater and an asteroid named after him.
What was the Hipparcos satellite named after?
It was named in honor of Hipparchus and his star cataloging work.
What was one technological limitation Hipparchus faced in his work?
He had to rely on basic instruments like the astrolabe and armillary sphere.
Why do some historians believe there may have been a controversy between Hipparchus and Claudius Ptolemy?
Some speculate that Ptolemy took more credit for Hipparchus’s discoveries than he deserved.
Which field did Hipparchus’s trigonometric methods help develop?
Spherical astronomy and later trigonometry.
What humorous fact is associated with Hipparchus’s criticism of other works?
He disliked poetic descriptions of the stars and criticized them as inaccurate.
