Claudias Ptolemy
Haley Gunderson and Michael Wood
Background
Born approximately around 85 AD in Egypt and died around 165 AD around the age of 77.
Though little is known about his life, it is inferred that Claudias Ptolemy descended from a Greek family living in Egypt at the time. It's supposed that his teacher was Theon of Smyrna, an astronomer and mathematician. Even if Ptolemy wasn't able to proper education in a class setting, he still had access to large libraries that stored rich information.
Life of Ptolemy
Based in Alexandria, Ptolemy served as a researcher, astronomer, mathematician, geographer, and was highly interested in the arts, writing and making music. His most important contribution to astronomy is considered the Almagest, a thirteen book series that expounded on the mathematical motion of the planets and the sun, and was able to predict the past and future positions of planets. He was also one of the first to propose a Heliocentric view of the solar system. A controversial fact about him is that he has been fabricating data from other scientists and claiming it to be his own. Though there were controversial claims made against him, he is still considered a major founder for Astronomy.
Did you know?
There are two craters on the moon and mars that are named after him, named Ptolemaus.
The 4001 Ptolemaus Asteroid is named after him.
Famous Quotes
"I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and for of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill ambrosia."
- Ptolemy
Portrait of Ptolemy.
Heliocentric model based off Ptolemy's theories.
Heliocentric means a solar system that contains planetary subject that revolve around a center object, for example the Sun.