Hipparchus
He created the first comprehensive star catalog and discovered the precession of the equinoxes.
Most quoted
"The human condition is to seek patterns in the chaos, to find meaning in the vastness, and to leave a mark, however small, upon the tapestry of time."
— from Conjectured based on astronomical work
"I've charted the movements of the planets with great precision, but I still can't predict when my neighbor will stop complaining about his olives."
— from Everyday Life
"Measuring the distance to the moon is one thing; measuring the distance to a politician's sincerity is quite another, and far more challenging."
— from Conversation
All quotes by Hipparchus (370)
The celestial globe is a model of the heavens, but it must be corrected for precession.
The Moon's first anomaly is in longitude, the second in latitude.
The Sun's apogee is fixed among the stars.
The Earth's shadow is the cause of lunar eclipses, and its size can be known.
The planets Venus and Mercury have their own anomalies not yet fully resolved.
The data of my predecessors are invaluable, but must be checked against new observations.
The universe is ordered, and that order is expressed in number and geometry.
The motion of the heavens is the most perfect motion, yet the planets deviate from it.
The work of astronomy is never finished, for the motions require ever more precise measurement.
To understand the cosmos, one must first trust the evidence of the senses, then seek the causes.