Aristarchus of Samos, the ancient Copernicus ; a history of Greek astronomy to Aristarchus, together with Aristarchus's Treatise on the sizes and distances of the sun and moon : a new Greek text with translation and notes

PURCHASED FOR THEUNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARYFROM THECANADA COUNCIL SPECIAL GRANTFORHIST SCI '68ARISTARCHUS OF SAMOSTHE ANCIENT COPERNICUSA HISTORY OF GREEK ASTRONOMY TO ARISTARCHUSTOGETHER WITH ARISTARCHUS'S TREATISEON THE SIZES AND DISTANCESOF THE SUN AND MOONA NEW GREEK TEXT WITH TRANSLATIONAND NOTESBYSIR THOMAS HEATHK.C.B., ScD., F.R.S.SOMETIME FELLOW OF TRINITY CAMBRIDGECOLLEGE,OXFORDAT THE CLARENDON PRESSJ9*3HENRY M.A.FROWDE,OF OXFORDPUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITYNEW TORONTOLONDON, EDINBURGH, YORK,AND BOMBAYMELBOURNEPREFACEThis work owes its to a desire to meinception expressed byold schoolfellow Professor H. H. Turner for a translation ofmyAristarchus's extant work On the sizes and distances the Sun andofMoon. TurnerProfessor asked whetherIncidentally any lightcould be thrown on the excessive estimate 2of for thegrosslydiameter of the sun and moon which is one of the funda-angularmental at the of the book. I rememberedassumptions beginningthat Archimedes in his Psammites or Sand-reckonerdistinctly saysthat Aristarchus was the first to discover that the diameterapparentof the sun is about of the circle describedparti/720th completethe init in other that therotation, or, words,by daily angularaisdiameter about which is near the truth. The difference| , verythat the treatise of Aristarchus which we wassuggested possessan work but it was still to search the of;early necessary historyGreek for estimates astronomersolder ...