Song of astronomy of «The Lusiads»

Title: Song of Astronomy of «The Lusiads» (with Carlota Simões)

Target Audience: High school students, all persons interested in the subject.

Duration: Between 30 and 60 minutes.

Development: The Portuguese epic poem The Lusiads embraces many subjects such as the pagan culture, geography, history, science, astronomy,.... Luís de Camões (1524-1579?) interconnects these issues in a consistent and elegant way, with a disarming knowledge.

Luciano Pereira da Silva (1864-1926), mathematician and full professor in Coimbra, studied in detail the use of such expertise by the poet. Having as a fundamental basis Luciano's work, this conference discloses the astronomy of The Lusiads in an alternative way. Instead of organizing the ocurrences through astronomical aspects (Moon, Sun, Ptolemaic system,...), the main target isthe spacetime journey itself. Thus, a central concern is the maintenance of the literary structure.


Moreover, we present some original astronomical interpretations.


In this talk, we use the interactive geometric software geogebra and a sketch designed for the purpose, respecting the sky of 1498, so that the Portuguese journey is followed as closely as possible.

Of course, the conference highlight is the recitation and interpretation of gorgeous astronomical verses.


Some verses have the voice of the actor António Fonseca, especially recorded for this purpose.

We suggest http://www.portaldoastronomo.pt/tema.php?id=31 and http://www.portaldoastronomo.pt/tema.php?id=37,

important work on Luciano carried out by Carlota Simões.


See also https://sites.google.com/site/astronomiacantada/astronomia-cantada-nos-lus%C3%ADadas



Places where the conference has already been given:

Agrupamento de Escolas de Lamego, Portugal, 2021.

Webminar Sociedade Portuguesa de Matemática, 2021.

Agrupamento de Escolas de Lamego, Portugal, 2020.

Sessão de planetário, Observatório Geofísico e Astronómico da Universidade de Coimbra, Plano Nacional de Leitura Ler+Ciência, 2018.

«Os Lusíadas: Estado da Arte nos 200 anos da Edição do Morgado de Mateus», Vila Real, 2018.

Escola 3D, Debater, Descobrir, Decidir, Agrupamento de Escolas de Santiago do Cacém, 2018.

Seminários ADM, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, 2018.

Masterclasses da Associação Ludus (UL), 2018.

Viva a Matemática 4, Universidade Lusíada, 2017.

II Encontro Regional de Professores de Matemática, Escola Básica 2,3 de Ginetes, Açores, 2017.

Fólio, 2017, Óbidos.

Astrofesta 2017, Monsaraz recebe o universo!

Semana de Leitura 2016, Auditório da Escola Secundária Lima-de-Faria.

XI Encontro de Educação 2016, A Escola sem Muros, Escola Superior de Educação Jean Piaget.

Fólio, 2016, Óbidos .

Workshop Internacional Matemática e Literatura, 2016, Óbidos.

Escola de Verão 2015, Colégio de São Tomás.

CiEMeLP 2015, Conferência Internacional do Espaço Matemático em Língua Portuguesa, Universidade de Coimbra.

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