Manuel Dias Jr.

Manuel Dias
Born 1574
Castelo Branco, Portugal
Died 4 March 1659
China
Nationality Portuguese
Occupation Jesuit missionary
Known for Introduction of the telescope in China

Father Manuel Dias Jr.[1] (陽瑪諾, Yang Manuo) (1574 – 4 March 1659)[2] also known as Emmanuel Diaz, was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who introduced in China the telescope in the early 17th century, just a few years after it had been developed in the Netherlands in 1608. The telescope was first mentioned in his Tian Wen Lüe (Explicatio Sphaerae Coelestis) in 1615.[3] Father Manuel Dias arrived at China in 1610, reaching Beijing in 1613. In the Tian Wen Lüe he presented the latest European astronomy knowledge in the shape of questions and answers to the Chinese queries. It was studied and published until the 19th century.

See also

References

  1. "Junior" (Jr.) is usually appended to his name to differentiate him with his contemporary, Manuel Dias the senior (ca. 1561-1639). See Jami & Saraiva (2008), p. 99 note 1
  2. João Manuel Esteves Pereira, Guilherme Rodrigues, "Diccionario historico, chorographico, heraldico, biographico, bibliographico, numismatico e artistico ...", J. Romano Torres, 1907
  3. Needham, Volume 3, 444.

Bibliography

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