Decoding Aristarchus

lt;p>The book is a synthesis of what the extant ancient sources tell us about Aristarchus. An exploration of issues relating Aristarchus to later astronomers is also provided.

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lt;p>Imagine someone today who comes up with a brand-new theory of the universe that shakes modern science to its very core, yet sounds so outlandish that very few people take it seriously for about twenty centuries from now, despite the fact that this theory allows even those rejecting it to greatly improve the current estimates of the sizes and distances in the universe. Imagine also that only after all those centuries are past will this theory be proved right, and its estimates, bettered. What would you think about this person? Have there been many such people in the past? The present book is about the only such person the author knows of. But make no mistake about it: this book is for mathematicians, even though historians and astronomers might find some of it interesting. If, despite this warning, you are still reading these words and wish for more, do brace yourself for a possibly dizzying, roller-coaster ride through history. It will take no less to tackle the mystery surrounding the birth of Heliocentrism.