Students from Greek schools will participate in a science project which will recalculate the earth’s circumference, repeating the experiment of the famous Greek mathematician, astronomer and geographer Eratosthenes.
The project is being held on the occasion of the Spring Equinox on March 20, which signals the beginning of the new season. On that day, the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. It is organized by the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), of the National Observatory of Athens, with the cooperation of the Laboratory Centers of Natural Sciences of Serres, Pieria, Lakonia, Lesvos and Heraklion.
Eratosthenes (274BC-194BC) is best known for being the first person to calculate the circumference of the Earth, which he did by applying a measuring system using stadia, a standard unit of measure during that time period.
For more information click on the National observatory’s webpage (in Greek): http://www.astro.noa.gr/gr/eratosthenes/
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