Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 8 – Aglaonice

Posted on by

This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Aglaonice

Astronomer
2nd or 1st Century BCE
Greece

Aglaonice was a famous astronomer who could predict lunar eclipses. Plutarch wrote that, during a total lunar eclipse, she “pretended to bewitch [the moon] and draw it down” from the sky. For these performances to convince, the moon must have become completely invisible, so she may also have understood the 11 year solar cycle which influences how dark the eclipsed moon becomes.

For more on Aglaonice:

 

Day 7 – Hildegard of Bingen Day 9 – Florence Violet McKenzie OBE

Posted in Advent 2018.