ASTRONOMERS from Egypt

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Egyptian Astronomers of all time. This list of famous Egyptian Astronomers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Ptolemy (100 - 170)

With an HPI of 84.92, Ptolemy is the most famous Egyptian Astronomer.  His biography has been translated into 117 different languages on wikipedia.

Claudius Ptolemy (; Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος, Ptolemaios; Latin: Claudius Ptolemaeus; c. 100 – c. 170 AD) was an Alexandrian mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European science. The first was his astronomical treatise now known as the Almagest, originally entitled Mathematical Treatise (Greek: Μαθηματικὴ Σύνταξις, Mathēmatikḗ Syntaxis). The second is the Geography, which is a thorough discussion on maps and the geographic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world. The third is the astrological treatise in which he attempted to adapt horoscopic astrology to the Aristotelian natural philosophy of his day. This is sometimes known as the Apotelesmatika (Greek: Αποτελεσματικά, lit. 'On the Effects') but more commonly known as the Tetrábiblos, from the Koine Greek meaning "Four Books", or by its Latin equivalent Quadripartite. The Catholic Church promoted his work, which included the only mathematically sound geocentric model of the Solar System, and unlike most Greek mathematicians, Ptolemy's writings (foremost the Almagest) never ceased to be copied or commented upon, both in late antiquity and in the Middle Ages. However, it is likely that only a few truly mastered the mathematics necessary to understand his works, as evidenced particularly by the many abridged and watered-down introductions to Ptolemy's astronomy that were popular among the Arabs and Byzantines. His work on epicycles has come to symbolize a very complex theoretical model built in order to explain a false assumption.

2. Sosigenes of Alexandria (-80 - -100)

With an HPI of 65.20, Sosigenes of Alexandria is the 2nd most famous Egyptian Astronomer.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Sosigenes (Ancient Greek: Σωσιγένης) (fl. 1st century BC) was an Ancient Greek astronomer. According to Pliny the Elder's Natural History 18.210–212, Julius Caesar consulted him while he was designing the Julian calendar.

3. Timocharis (-320 - -260)

With an HPI of 55.28, Timocharis is the 3rd most famous Egyptian Astronomer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Timocharis of Alexandria (Ancient Greek: Τιμόχαρις or Τιμοχάρης, gen. Τιμοχάρους; c. 320–260 BC) was a Greek astronomer and philosopher. Likely born in Alexandria, he was a contemporary of Euclid.