Euctemon

For the lunar crater, see Euctemon (crater).

Euctemon (Greek: Εὐκτήμων, gen. Εὐκτήμονος; fl. 432 BC) was an Athenian astronomer. He was a contemporary of Meton and worked closely with this astronomer. Little is known of his work apart from his partnership with Meton and what is mentioned by Ptolemy. With Meton, he made a series of observations of the solstices (the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about 21 June and 22 December) in order to determine the length of the tropical year). Geminus and Ptolemy quote him as a source on the rising and setting of the stars. Pausanias's Description of Greece names Damon and Philogenes as Euctemon's children.[1][2]

The lunar crater Euctemon is named after him.

References

  1. ^ Hockey, Thomas (2009). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "Pausanias 7. 1 - 17". Theoi Texts Library. Retrieved 28 April 2024.


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