Greek · Hipparchus fl. c. 150–127 BCE; reported by Ptolemy c. 150 CE
Hipparchus in Almagest IX.2
Hipparchus' planetary work as reported by Ptolemy
No planetary text by Hipparchus survives; what we know comes from Ptolemy. According to the Almagest (Toomer's translation, p. 421), Hipparchus attempted no planetary theory but compiled observations and showed that existing models failed to match them, including the fact that retrograde arcs are not of constant size. B. R. Goldstein argues that the phrase 'retrograde arc' is Ptolemy's own inference, unsupported by any work of Hipparchus.
- Author
- Hipparchus of Nicaea
- Date
- Hipparchus fl. c. 150–127 BCE; reported by Ptolemy c. 150 CE
- Original language
- Greek
- Kind
- Observation record
- Planets
- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Editions
2 editions.
| Year | Edition | © |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Heiberg, Syntaxis mathematica II (Books VII-XIII), Leipzig: Teubner, 1903 | PD |
| 1984 | G. J. Toomer, Ptolemy's Almagest, 1984 / 1998 | © |
Read it
No digitised copy known.
No digitised copy known. The editions above are the way in.
Myths we don’t repeat
Checked, and left out.
- Myth 01
Not 'Hipparchus measured or tabulated retrograde arcs': everything we have is Ptolemy's report.
References
Also on the Greece and Rome shelf
| Date | Source | Planets | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 375 BCE (Republic); c. 360 BCE (Timaeus) | Republic X: the Spindle of NecessityPlatoTheory / model | General | Theory / model |
| c. 350–330 BCE | Metaphysics Λ.8AristotleTheory / model | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Theory / model |
| c. 2nd–1st century BCE (debated); reconstruction 2021 | Antikythera Mechanism: Front Cover InscriptionAnonymous (Greek makers)Math. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| c. 1st century BCE – 5th century CE (papyri); edition 1999 | Astronomical Papyri from OxyrhynchusAnonymous (Greco-Egyptian scribes)Math. astronomy | General | Math. astronomy |
| 1st century BCE (often placed c. 50 BCE) | Introduction to the PhenomenaGeminusMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| 1st century CE (Greek original); Arabic version c. 800 CE | Carmen AstrologicumDorotheus of SidonAstrological | General | Astrological |