Sphericity of the Earth
Esfericidad de la Tierra
- Date
- c. 350 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- Athens, Greece
- Credited to
- Pythagoras (conjecture); Aristotle (proofs)
- People
- 👤 Aristóteles384 BCE–322 BCE
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
In 'De Caelo' Aristotle provided empirical evidence: the circular shadow of the Earth in lunar eclipses and the change in visible stars when travelling south. The Earth became a spherical celestial body.
Parmenides and Pythagoras already argued for sphericity on aesthetic or philosophical grounds.
What it led to
- Measurement of the Earth's radius
- Mathematical geography with latitude and longitude
- Conception of the Earth as a navigable globe