Conon of Samos facts for kids

Conon of Samos (born around 280 BC, died around 220 BC) was an important Greek astronomer and mathematician. He is best known for giving a name to the group of stars we now call Coma Berenices.

Life and work

Conon was born on the island of Samos in ancient Greece. He might have died in Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt. In Alexandria, he worked as the court astronomer for Ptolemy III Euergetes, who was the king of Egypt.

Conon named the constellation Coma Berenices, which means "Berenice's Hair." He named it after King Ptolemy's wife, Berenice II. The story goes that Queen Berenice cut off her beautiful hair as a sacrifice. She promised to do this if her husband returned safely from a war that started in 246 BC. When her lock of hair later disappeared, Conon explained that a goddess had placed it in the sky as a new constellation.

Not all Greek astronomers agreed with this new constellation name. For example, in Ptolemy's famous book Almagest, Coma Berenices is not listed as a separate constellation. However, Ptolemy did mention some seasonal signs that Conon had observed. Conon was also a friend of the famous mathematician Archimedes. They likely met in Alexandria.

Astronomical work

Conon wrote a seven-book work called De astrologia. In this work, he included his observations of solar eclipses, which is when the Moon blocks the Sun. Seneca, an ancient Roman writer, said that Conon was a "careful observer" and recorded eclipses seen by Egyptians. However, some people doubt how accurate this statement is. The Roman poet Catullus also wrote that Conon "understood all the lights of the huge universe." He said Conon showed how stars rise and set, how the Sun's bright light can be darkened, and how stars move away at certain times.

Mathematical work

The ancient mathematician Pappus said that the spiral of Archimedes was actually discovered by Conon. Another mathematician, Apollonius of Perga, reported that Conon worked on conic sections. These are shapes like circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas that you get when you slice a cone. Apollonius said that Conon's work became the basis for the fourth book of his own important work, Conics. Apollonius also mentioned that Conon sent some of his work to another mathematician named Thrasydaeus, but that it had mistakes. Since Conon's original work has not survived, it's hard to know if Apollonius's comment was correct.

Namesake

• Conon (crater), a crater on the Moon, was named in his honor.

See also

In Spanish: Conon de Samos para niños