ARATUS was born in Cilicia. He resided for some time at the court of Antigonus of Macedonia, son of Demetrius Poliorcetes; and here he composed his principal work, an astronomical poem paraphrasing the Phenomena of Eudoxus.

In this poem are described the principal features of the celestial sphere: the axis terminated by the north and south poles; perpendicular to the axis, the great circle of the equator, and the two circles of the tropics. Inclined to the circle of the equator was that of the zodiac, containing the twelve constellations through which the sun pursued his annual course. Another circle equally dividing the heavens was the Milky Way. The independent planetary motions are spoken of, but no attempt is made to define them. The Phenomena of Aratus was carefully studied by Virgil, and was translated into Latin by Cicero. A quotation from it occurs in the speech recorded to have been delivered by St. Paul at Athens (Acts xvii. 28).

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