Independent Research Project #2

NATS1745M, winter 2022

Prof. Rafiee

How does Aristarchus measure Moon

size? First Heliocentric Model!
Human Goodman (them/they), Student ID 123456789

Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................2
Discoveries/Observation.....................................................................................................................2
What we know/basic facts..................................................................................................................2
What we don’t know/Open questions................................................................................................3
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................3
Bibliography.......................................................................................................................................4
Introduction
My research work is based on the Aristarchus measure moon size, and is it the first heliocentric
model? This question is linked to the ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician Aristarchus of
Samos created the first known version of the heliocentric model, which held that the Sun was at its
center. Our Earth rotated twice around the Sun in a single year. That is known as the Heliocentric
Model. For example, The development of astronomy in ancient Greece may be traced back to the
work of the Pre-Socratic Philosophers. They offered a non-theistic interpretation of the universe in
their quest to discover the First Cause of everything that exists. Their research led them to make
astronomical conjectures to determine the nature and position of the Earth, which they later proved
to be incorrect.1

Background History
Aristarchus of Samos (310–230 BCE) was an ancient Greek astronomer who published "Peri
method kai apostematon" (Peri method and apostematon) (On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun
and Moon). The distances between the Earth, Sun, and Moon are computed using the Earth's radius
as a base. Some speculate that Pappus of Alexandria's math students salvaged the book. However,
this has not been confirmed. For example, Sir Henry Savile wrote Editio Princeps in 1688, and
John Wallis published it in the following year. Giorgio Valla authored the first Latin translation of
the Bible in 1488. 2. Sir Henry Savile wrote Editio Princeps in 1688, and John Wallis published it
in the following year. Giorgio Valla authored the first Latin translation of the Bible in 1488. In
1572, Frederico Commandino produced a second Latin translation and commentary with an
introduction.

What we know/basic facts about his method

Aristarchus' method, the most basic fact is that the measure on calculation. According to
Aristarchus, his worldview is based on the following assumptions lunar eclipse occurs when the
Earth's shadow is twice the diameter of the Moon's shadow, and (2) the angular diameters of the
Moon and the Sun are both 2 degrees when the Moon is eclipsed. The angle between the Moon and
the Sun is 87 degrees, while the Moon is in the quarter moon phase. According to Aristarchus, the
Sun is between 18 and 20 times farther away from the Earth than the Moon in terms of distance as
measured in light-years. The ratio is 390:1. He was able to determine the sizes of the Sun and the
Moon by combining this finding with premises 1 and 2 in a unique geometric framework based on
lunar eclipses, which he developed himself. Moon's diameter is between 0.32 and 0.40 times that

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of the Earth's diameter, while Sun's diameter is around 6.3 to 7.4 times greater than that of the
Earth's diameter.3

What we don't know/errors and mistakes

Aristarchus's work is based on calcution but due to Aristarchus' observations. No surviving work
by Archimedes, Plutarch, or Sextus Empiricus addresses Aristarchus' beliefs on the rotating motion
of the Earth as a result of Aristarchus' observations.4 Hipparchus and Ptolemy, among other Greek
astronomers, developed Aristarchus' methods and arrived at very exact numbers for the size and
distance of the Moon. Therefore, according to assumption 3, ancient measurements overestimated
the size and length between the Sun and Earth.4

Conclusion
Geometrical methods trumped numerical measures in Aristarchus' day. His initial concept is good,
but it has flaws, as we shall discover. Considering how readily the Moon's angular diameter can be
measured, Assumption 2 significantly underestimates it. Aristarchus subsequently said that the
Moon's angular size was half a degree appears to have changed nothing. Premise 3 states that the
period between the first and third quarters of the Moon is one day longer than the time between the
third and first quarters of the Moon. During the quarter moon, just 9 minutes of arc are available to
determine a suitable 90-degree angle between the Sun and the Moon.

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Bibliography
.

[1] (Mar 13 2021) Wikimedia. [Online].

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Sizes_and_Distances_(Aristarchus)

[2] WhitneyYoung,.: Oxford : Clarendon press, 1913, p. 446pg.

[3] Michalis Michailidis. (Aug 9, 2020) Aristarchus: The Greek Copernicus | Ancient Greece
Revisited.

[4] J J O'Connor and E F Robertson. (April 1999) Aristarchus of Samos. [Online].

https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Aristarchus/

[5] Elizabeth Gibney, "Hello quantum world!," nature, 23 October 2019.

[6] David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker. (1970) Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1,
Chapters 1 - 12, Problem Supplement No. 1. [Online]. https://amazon.com/fundamentals-
physics-david-halliday/dp/111823071x

[7] Antje Kohnle et al., "A new introductory quantum mechanics curriculum," European Journal
of Physics, vol. 35, no. 1, p. 015001, 2014.