280?-220?

B. C. Greek Astronomer and Mathematician

Conon of Samos is known primarily for his work as an astronomer, in particular his discovery of the constellation Coma Berenices. He also made significant contributions to mathematics in his discussion of conics, which influenced Apollonius of Perga (262?-190? B.C.). A friend of Archimedes (287?-212 B.C.), he may have had an impact on the work of that great mathematician and scientist as well.

As court astronomer to Egyptian ruler Ptolemy III Euergetes, Conon named the famous constellation after Ptolemy's queen Berenice II. (These names, along with Cleopatra, were a fixture of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and continued through the era of the last Ptolemaic pharaoh, Cleopatra VII—the famous Cleopatra—two centuries later.) It was said that when Ptolemy returned from a campaign in Syria in 246 B.C., Berenice cut off a lock of her hair...