Seleucus (astronomer) (ca. 190 BC. E. - after 150 BC. E.) - ancient (Hellenistic Mesopotamian) philosopher and astronomer . Apparently, he was born in the town of Seleucia on the Tigris River ( Babylonia ), the capital of the Seleucid Empire. An alternative point of view considers it to be Seleukia’s hometown on the Red (Eritrean) Sea, since the doecograph Aetiy, following Stobei, calls it Σελευκοζ ο ρυθραιοζ.
Seleucus | |
---|---|
Date of Birth | c.190 BC |
Place of Birth | Seleucia |
Date of death | |
Scientific field | philosophy , astronomy |
Achievements
Known as a supporter of the heliocentric system of the world proposed by Aristarchus of Samos . According to Plutarch , if Aristarchus proposed the heliocentric system as a mathematical hypothesis, then Seleucus gave its rationale. However, Plutarch does not specify exactly how Seleucus proved it. According to Bartel Leendert van der Warden , on the basis of the heliocentric system and with the help of the emerging geometry, Seleucus constructed astronomical tables that made it possible to predict the movement of the planets across the sky [1] .
The area of scientific interest Seleucus also included tides , engaged in the observation of tides. According to Strabo , based on the relationship of tides with the phases of the moon , he concluded that the tides are caused by the action of the moon, and their height depends on the position of the moon relative to the sun. Seleucus believed that the revolution of the moon impedes the rotation of the Earth, as a result of which the air between these two bodies deviates and falls into the ocean, causing tidal waves there. According to the Italian mathematician and historian of science, Lucio Rousseau, the "evidence" of the earth's motion presented by Seleuki was based on tides [2] .
According to Stobe (Eclogae physicae), Seleucus considered the Universe to be infinite - unlike most thinkers of his time, who believed that the Universe was a limited Cosmos immersed in infinite space. This view of Seleucus is the development of Aristarchus' heliocentric views: if the daily rotation of the sky is explained by the daily rotation of the Earth around its axis, then there is no need to count the stars on one sphere.
Details
The ancient Greek authors Plutarch and Aetiy , as well as the medieval Persian scholar Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Razi, wrote about Seleuvka. The latter refers to the only surviving fragment of the works of Seleucus (in Arabic translation).
In chapter XVI of his “Geography”, Strabo mentions four great “ Chaldean ” astronomers - Kiden ( Kidna from astronomical clay tablets), Naburian (Nabu-Rimannu), Sudin and Seleucus, specifying: “Seleucus from Seleucius was also a Chaldean”.
Memory
In 1935, the International Astronomical Union assigned the name Seleucus to the crater on the visible side of the moon .
Notes
Literature
- Neurobauer O. The History of Astronomy: Problems and Methods (Concluded) // Journal of Near Eastern Studies. - 1946. - Vol. 58. pp. 104-142.
- It was born in 300 BC. - Berlin .: Springer, 2004.
- Sarton G. Chaldaean Astronomy of the Last Three Centuries BC // Journal of the American Oriental Society. - 1955. - Vol. 75. - p. 166-173.
- If you want to go for a long time, you can find out how to do it. - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1987, June. - Vol. 500. - p. 525-545.
- Pines, S., 1963: Un fragment de Seleucus de Seleucie conserve en version arabe. // Revue d'Histoire des Sciences, 16: 193-209.