Christophorus Clavius
by Science Source
Title
Christophorus Clavius
Artist
Science Source
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Christophorus (Christopher) Clavius. Born Bamberg, Germany c. 25 March 1538. Died Rome, Italy, 6 February 1612. Jesuit priest, who was an eminent mathematician and astronomer of the 16th century. Clavius was a supporter of the Ptolemaic system. Popes Gregory XIII and Clement VIII gave him the task of reviewing and defending the new Gregorian calendar against the Protestants, who were opposed to it. His defense was in Novi calendarii romani apologia (Rome, 1595) was crucial to adopting the new calendar. He developed an early version of the vernier for measuring fractions of angles, as well as a quadrant tailored for surveying. He also made a calculating device similar to Galileo's compass; wrote extensively about sundials, and created new types of them. He corresponded with many of the eminent scientists of his day, including Galileo, who was a personal friend.
Uploaded
March 6th, 2013
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Christophorus Clavius. Click here to post the first comment.