Born in Samos in approximately 310 BC, Aristarchus likely moved to Alexandria and became a student of Strato of Lampsacus, who later became the head of the Peripatetic school in Greece. According to Ptolemy, Aristarchus observed the summer solstice of 280 BC. Vitruvius writes that Aristarchus built two different sundials: one a flat disc; and one hemispherical. Aristarchus estimated the sizes of the Sun and Moon as compared to Earth, and the distances from the Earth to the Sun and to the Moon. His estimate that the Sun was 7 times larger than Earth (it's actually 109 times, in diameter) brought about the further insight that the Sun's greater size made it the most natural central point of the universe, as opposed to Earth.
Life and Career
Aristarchus was influenced by the concept presented by Philolaus of Croton (c. 470 – 385 BC) of a fire at the center of the universe (i.e. by contemporary understanding, at the center of the Earth). Aristarchus recast this "central fire" as the Sun, and he arranged the other planets in their correct order of distance around the Sun.
Like Anaxagoras before him, Aristarchus suspected that the stars were just other bodies like the Sun, albeit farther away from Earth. His astronomical ideas were often rejected in favor of the geocentric theories of Aristotle and Ptolemy. Nicolaus Copernicus knew that Aristarchus had a 'moving Earth' theory, although it is unlikely that Copernicus was aware that it was a heliocentric theory.
Key Facts
- Born: January 1, 310 in Samos, Greece
- Died: 230
- Field: Mathematics
Legacy and Impact
The influence of Aristarchus of Samos extends far beyond his own lifetime. He fundamentally shaped the foundations of modern mathematics, and his theorems and mathematical frameworks remain foundational to this day.
Though he passed away in 230, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
Aristarchus of Samos remains one of the most celebrated minds to emerge from Greece, a testament to the rich intellectual heritage of the region.
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