A Greek star catalog from the dawn of astronomy, revealed.
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| Title: | A Greek star catalog from the dawn of astronomy, revealed. |
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| Authors: | Mann, Adam (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science News. Apr2026, Vol. 208 Issue 4, p26-27. 2p. 1 Cartoon or Caricature. |
| Subjects: | Star maps (Astronomy), History of astronomy, Paleography, Manuscripts, Astronomers, Astronomical observations, X-ray imaging |
| Abstract: | The article focuses on the recovery of ancient star maps and a Greek poem about celestial phenomena from a palimpsest known as the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, using advanced X-ray imaging at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The star maps originate from a catalog by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea (circa 150 B.C.) and were hidden beneath later overwritten texts on animal hide. This discovery provides rare direct insight into early astronomical science and has helped clarify that the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy used Hipparchus' work as a reference rather than plagiarizing it. Researchers plan to further analyze the manuscript with computer algorithms to uncover more historical scientific data. [Extracted from the article] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | The article focuses on the recovery of ancient star maps and a Greek poem about celestial phenomena from a palimpsest known as the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, using advanced X-ray imaging at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The star maps originate from a catalog by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea (circa 150 B.C.) and were hidden beneath later overwritten texts on animal hide. This discovery provides rare direct insight into early astronomical science and has helped clarify that the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy used Hipparchus' work as a reference rather than plagiarizing it. Researchers plan to further analyze the manuscript with computer algorithms to uncover more historical scientific data. [Extracted from the article] |
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| ISSN: | 00368423 |
