Timocharis of Alexandria (ca. 320 BC - 260 BC) was a
Greek astronomer and
philosopher. Likely born in
Alexandria, he was a contemporary of
Euclid.
What little is know about Timocharis comes from citations by
Ptolemy in the
Almagest. These indicate that Timocharis worked in Alexandria during the 290s and 280s BCE. Ptolemy lists the
declination of 18 stars as recorded by Timocharis or
Aristillus in roughly the year 290 BCE. Between 295 and 272 BCE, Timocharis recorded four lunar
occultations and the passage of the planet
Venus across a star. These were recorded using both the Egyptian and Athenian calendars. The observed stellar passage by Venus may have occurred on October 12, 272 BCE when the planet came within 15
arcminutes of the star
η Virginis.
The observations by Timocharis are among the oldest
Greek records that can be assigned a specific date. They are only exceeded by records of the
summer solstice of 432 BCE, as noted by
Euctemon and
Meton.
Timocharis worked with
Aristillus in an astronomical observatory that was most likely part of the
Library of Alexandria. Their equipment would have been simple, most likely consisting of
gnomons,
sundials and an
armillary sphere. The two were contemporaries of
Aristarchus of Samos, but it is unclear whether there was any association between Timocharis and Aristarchus.
During his astronomical observations, Timocharis recorded that the star
Spica was located 8° west of the
Autumnal equinox. Later,
Hipparcos observed that Spica was only 6° west of the Autumnal equinox. Hipparcos was able to deduce the period during which Timocharis made his observations based upon the records of earlier lunar eclipses. From this difference, Hipparcos discovered
longitude of the stars had changed over time, which led him to determine the first value of the
precession of the equinoxes as no less than 1/100° per year.
In approximately 3rd century BC, with the help of
Aristillus, he created the first
star catalogue in the Western world.
He made the third recorded mention of Mercury.
The crater
Timocharis on the
Moon is named after him.