Catasterisms

work by Eratosthenes

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July 22, 2026

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The Catasterisms is a work attributed to Eratosthenes, a Greek writer, astronomer, and poet. This book focuses on constellations, providing descriptions, associated myths, and the number of stars within each constellation. While the attribution of this work to Eratosthenes is debated by some scholars, he is known for other significant contributions, including the first known measurement of the Earth's circumference and the development of the sieve method for finding prime numbers. Eratosthenes was also the director of the Great Library of Alexandria.1

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Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes’ only surviving work is Catasterisms, a book about the constellations, which gives a description and story for each constellation, as well as a count of the number of stars contained in it, but the attribution of this work has been doubted by some scholars. His mathematical work is known…
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Eratosthenes’ only surviving work is Catasterisms, a book about the constellations, which gives a description and story for each constellation, as well as a count of the number of stars contained in it, but the attribution of this work has been doubted by some scholars. His mathematical work is known…
Read More