Labels:text | screenshot | bronze OCR: HIPPARCHUS HIPPARCHUS was a Greek astronomer whose achievements included tracking the Sun's path in the sky. From observing the star Spica in the constellation of Virgo, he discovered the precession of the equinoxes (an apparent shifting of the stars over many centuries). He also calculated the solar year to within 7 minutes of its actual length and estimated the distances of the Sun and the Moon from the Earth. His work remained largely unchallenged for centuries after his death, and his catalog of 850 stars, completed in 129 BC, was still in use 1,800 years later. A-Z. SEE LIFE (fl. 146 BC-127 BC) NEXT ALSO STORY
