Abstract
After Ptolemy, the end of Hellenistic civilization also meant the end of Greek astronomy. In the centuries of the Roman Empire, progress of astronomy was almost nil. The Romans always tended to ignore the sciences that they did not like, and basically did not understand. However, the work of several authors such as Varro, Cicero, Pliny and Seneca ensured at the time that in the subsequent centuries, the spread of Greek thought would continue.
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The value of inclination of the axis of Earth’s rotation relative to the plane of its orbit, for reasons only astronomical (planetary perturbations), varies cyclically within 41,000 years between 21.5 ° and 24.5 °. Currently, this angle measures 23.44 °
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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Italia
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Dicati, R. (2013). Medieval Astronomy. In: Stamping Through Astronomy. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2829-6_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2829-6_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
Print ISBN: 978-88-470-2828-9
Online ISBN: 978-88-470-2829-6
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