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DISCOVERY OF HIPPARCHUS’ LOST STAR CATALOG ON THE FARNESE ATLAS 

BRADLEY E. SCHAEFER 
(Louisiana State University)

HIPPARCHUS - 
Greatest Astronomer of Antiquity 

* First Star Catalog (~1000 stars)
* Discovered Precession
* First Nova
* First Model for Solar & Lunar Motion
* Best Planetary Observations to Date

Rhodes: /fl./ 140-125 BC

Only surviving work is his /Commentary/

FARNESE ATLAS SHOWS:

* 41 Constellations

(no stars)

* Equator, Tropics
* Colures
* Arctic, Antarctic  Circles

POSSIBLE DATES FOR OBSERVATIONS USED TO PLACE THE CONSTELLATIONS 

* /c./ 150 AD  Contemporary with Roman sculptor
* /c./ 128 AD  From Ptolemy’s /Almagest/
* /c./ 275 BC  From Aratus’ /Phaenomena/
* /c./ 366 BC  From Eudoxus’ /Phaenomena/
* 1130±80 BC Assyrian observer who was source for     Eudoxus and
*MUL.APIN*

GET DATE FROM CONSTELLATION POSITIONS 

Constellations positions shift slowly with the centuries (due to
precession), so the depicted positions provide a ‘clock’

PRECESSION

DATE OF FARNESE ATLAS CONSTELLATION DATA 

* New photographs taken in Naples last June

New photos required as camera-globe distance must be
known for photogrammetry

* 70 constellation positions measured to 1.5° accuracy

* Chi-square fit to find the best date

125 BC   (±55 years)

REJECTS Ptolemy, Aratus,      Eudoxus, and the
Assyrian     MATCHES Hipparchus

DATE OF FARNESE ATLAS CONSTELLATION DATA 

* Accuracy of original data is <2°
* Ancient star catalogs have accuracy <1°
* Ancient verbal descriptions have accuracy >4°-8°

Original data must be from a star catalog

Only Hipparchus and Ptolemy

have old star catalogs

(and Ptolemy is too late)

DETAILED COMPARISON BETWEEN ATLAS AND ANCIENT SOURCES 

* /Phaenomena/ of Aratus & Eudoxus

12 significant differences

e.g., solstice off by 35°!, Centaur not under Scorpion,
Eridanus extends almost to Dog

* /Commentaries/ of Hipparchus

0 differences 

* /Catasterismi/ of Pseudo-Eratosthenes & Eratosthenes

9 significant differences

e.g., Southern Crown is present, Hercules is kneeling,
Pegasus has wings

* /Almagest/ of Ptolemy

11 significant differences

e.g., Equuleus and Bernices’ Hair missing, Eridanus
extends almost to Dog, Archer has no cloak 

CONNECTING THE FARNESE ATLAS TO HIPPARCHUS’ CATALOG 

* 3.5° ACCURACY REQUIRES A STAR CATALOG

Only Hipparchus and Ptolemy  have ancient star catalog 

* FARNESE ATLAS POSITIONS FROM 125 ± 55 BC

Eliminates Ptolemy, Aratus, Eudoxus, the Assyrian, and any
contemporary

Only Hipparchus is consistent with date 

* CONSTELLATION ICONS MATCH HIPPARCHUS

Eliminates Ptolemy, Aratus, Eudoxus, and Eratosthenes

Only Hipparchus matches the Farnese Atlas 

FARNESE ATLAS BASED ON THE LOST STAR CATALOG OF HIPPARCHUS

APPLICATIONS 

* WHAT COORDINATE SYSTEM DID HIPPARCHUS USE?

None?   Equatorial?   Ecliptic?   Mixed?

EQUATOR, COLURES, TROPICS *EQUATORIAL COORDINATES* 

* HOW MUCH OF HIPPARCHUS’ CATALOG IS IN THE /ALMAGEST/?

None?   Small fraction?   Large fraction?   All?

In past, we have only had partial positions for some stars (from
the /Commentary/) are known, and these have an unknown relation to
the star catalog

NOW, WE HAVE HIPPARCHUS’ FULL CATALOG

*FUTURE WORKERS WILL TEST FARNESE ATLAS vs. ALMAGEST* 

CONCLUSIONS 

THE LOST STAR CATALOG OF HIPPARCHUS IS DEPICTED ON THE FARNESE ATLAS