Daily Archives: January 29, 2019

Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 and died on January 8, 1642. During his lifetime he made monumental contributions to the world of astronomy. He did not invent the telescope, but he made improvements to it and this allowed him to observe the universe, like no one had ever done. Some of the … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

1. Isaac Newton: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27. 2. I admire Isaac Newton (12/25/1642-03/20/1726) a whole lot and here is why: He was modest enough to build on the work of Kepler’s law, instead of making his own from scratch. Through his work, we were able to have a deeper understanding of gravitation and its … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Historical Figures of Astronomy Astronomer Birth Date Death Date Nicholas Copernicus 19 February 1473 24 May 1543 Galileo Galilei 15 February 1564 8 January 1642 Johannes Kepler December 27, 1571 November 15, 1630 Isaac Newton 4 January 1643 31 March 1727 Tycho Brahe 14 December 1546 24 October 1601 Note: Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Some Context… But More!

Tycho Brahe (14 December 1546 – 24 October 1601) was the master of unassisted observational astronomy. A major portion of this was due to his building of the observatory and castle Uraniborg. Uraniborg was designed inside and out to collect the most precise measurements known at the time. Possibly though, more important was that he […] Continue reading

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Tycho Brahe in Context

Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546 and died on October 24, 1601. These dates are converted to the Gregorian Calendar, as the Gregorian Calendar was established during his lifetime. Tycho Brahe made vast improvements to the instruments of measurement used in the study of astronomy. He was a pioneer in observational astronomy in … Continue reading Tycho Brahe in Context Continue reading

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Two Times Sir Isaac Newton Could have Died

Sir Isaac Newton (Jan. 4th, 1643 — Mar. 31st, 1727) is important to astronomy because he formulated the mathematical and physical ideas that would give future astronomers… Read more “Two Times Sir Isaac Newton Could have Died” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601) – As one of the last of the naked-eye observers, Brahe juggled the ideas of the Copernican system and the Ptolemaic system, using his own research to develop his own model known as the Tychonic system.  Although he was unable to discover the fact that the … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton Born: January 4, 1643, Died: March 31, 1727 Newton’s development of a preliminary universal law of gravity gave astronomers an explanation for the attraction of mass in space, and the orbits that they had dedicated their lives to studying. The development of calculus and the study of rates of change was significant for mathematical … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Nicholas Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) was a Polish scientist who mathematically calculated the details of a heliocentric, or sun-centered, solar system.  He uncovered relationships that permitted him to calculate each planet’s orbital period and the distance from each planet to the sun in terms of the astronomical unit (AU), or the … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context: Nicholas Copernicus Continue reading

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Copernicus Does a Revolution

Copernicus is known for challenging the established geocentric model that was integral to the catholic church’s perception of earth’s divine creation with his publication of The Revolutions (Of the Celestial Spheres). He set the stage for a better understanding of our place in the solar system, and soon after his death in 1543 the world … Continue reading Copernicus Does a Revolution Continue reading

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