Carlos Mão de Ferro, LASIGE’s Ph.D. student, will present a seminar entitled “Astronomical tables and the invention of the computer”, next December 17, 2021, at the Helena Avelar Seminar on Astronomy and Ancient Astrology, organized by CIUHCT (Interuniversity Center for the History of Science and Technology) at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL).

It is known that, since the most ancient civilizations, the compilation of astronomical tables has been an essential aid in calculating and predicting the exact position of celestial bodies. Applications of these tables included navigation, astrology, and religious practices. However, manually creating the tables was a tedious and error-prone task which led Charles Babbage, at the begging of the XIX century, to the invention of computing machines.

The seminar will be held at 6:00 PM, building C8, room 8.2.02.