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Valentinus Otho

1550 – 1605

German astronomer

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About Valentinus Otho

Lived 1550 – 1605 (aged 54–55). Valentinus Otho was a German mathematician, astronomer and university teacher.

Valentinus Otho (also Valentin Otto; born around 1545–46 possibly in Magdeburg – 8 April 1603 in Heidelberg) was a German mathematician and astronomer.

Life

In 1573 he came to Wittenberg, proposing to Johannes Praetorius an approximation of pi as (now known as milü, as named by its first discover, the Chinese mathematician Zu Chongzhi).

In 1575 he supported Georg Joachim Rheticus in his trigonometric tables. The next year they went to Kaschau in Hungary where Rheticus died. Thus, Otho inherited the De revolutionibus manuscript of Nicolaus Copernicus that Rheticus had published in 1543 in Nuremberg.

Otho became Professor for mathematics in Wittenberg, but when the rulers of Saxony did not support the tables, he moved to Heidelberg where Elector Friedrich IV sponsored the '’Opus Palatinum de Triangulis’’ in 1596.

Work Opus Palatinum de Triangulis, 1596 (original manuscript available online ) De triangulis globi sine angulo recto libri quinque

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Important facts

Born
1550, Magdeburg
Birth century
Died
1605, Heidelberg
Nationality
Education
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Positions held
Thomaskantor
Employers
Heidelberg University, University of Wittenberg
Also known as
Valentin Otto, Lucius Valentinus Otho

People in Valentinus Otho's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Valentinus Otho's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Valentinus Otho?

German astronomer

When was Valentinus Otho born?

Valentinus Otho was born in 1550 in Magdeburg.

When did Valentinus Otho die?

Valentinus Otho died in 1605 in Heidelberg.

What was Valentinus Otho's occupation?

Valentinus Otho was a mathematician, astronomer and university teacher.

What nationality was Valentinus Otho?

Valentinus Otho was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Valentinus Otho

· Wikidata: Q91647

· DBpedia: Valentinus Otho

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Valentinus Otho. https://biography.guide/valentinus-otho/

MLA: "Valentinus Otho." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/valentinus-otho/.

Chicago: "Valentinus Otho." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/valentinus-otho/.

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