Category Archives: Class

Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 17, 2021 by lauryn28

  Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer born December 27, 1571, in Weil der Stadt, Germany. He is well known in the field of astronomy for his three laws of planetary motion. He found that planets orbit on an ellipse rather than a perfect circle, that the planet and the sun sweep out equal areasContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 17, 2021 by ben141414

Archaeoastronomy is the study of ancient astronomical practices, specifically how they “have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures.” Back in ancient times, there was obviously no technology, but people wanted to understand the natural world. They saw amazing sights (planets, stars,Continue reading “Archaeoastronomy” Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 17, 2021 by mwdobson3

Galileo Galilei (February 15th, 1564 – January 8th, 1642) Galileo Galilei’s contribution to the field of astronomy is well known around the world. The Italian-born polymath initially focused on mathematics and physics, but his studies moved him to the telescope. Galileo learned about and improved upon the telescope, significantly increasing its power, which allowed himContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 14, 2021 by brandonlipper

Nicholas Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) was important to astronomy because, when he was studying astronomy, the Ptolemaic model for planetary motion was no longer accurate so he began studying Aristachus’ model from 1700 years before in which the planets orbit the sun. While working based on this idea, he was ableContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Peter Taylor

Tycho Brahe: (12/14/1546 – 10/24/1601) The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre occurred in Paris on August 24th and 25th in 1572. This massacre was orchestrated by the Catholic Catherine de Medici, carried out by Catholic noblemen and citizens, and resulted in the slaughter of French Huguenots (protestants). In February 1570, Queen Elizabeth I of England wasContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 13, 2021 by brynicdew

Nicholas Copernicus was the one of the earliest astronomers of the Renaissance. Born: February 19, 1473 Died: May 24, 1543 1492: Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. His discovery of the Americas opened up a new section of world which sparked the Columbian Exchange. This led to the Age of Exploration, and greatly expanded theContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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Astronomy & the Catholic Church

Posted on February 12, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Although some might make the claim that the Catholic Church has and always will be anti-science (a myth perpetuated partly by Catholic fundamentalism), the church has actually had a longstanding relationship with the sciences dating as far back as the early Middle Ages. [1] The beginning of the church’s interest in astronomy began when issues… Continue reading →

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Johannes Kepler in Context

Posted on February 11, 2021 by thestarstudent

Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German astronomer best known for discovering three laws (although he did not call them that) about planetary motion. These laws state that 1) planets orbit around the sun in an elliptical shape; 2) The planet covers an equal area in equal time during itsContinue reading “Johannes Kepler in Context” Continue reading →

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Celebrating the Vernal Equinox

Posted on February 8, 2021 by wslopes

Spring is a season that is characteristically associated with birth and life. It symbolizes an end to Winter and the transition to the (personally) much more favorable, Summer. While I probably enjoy Summer more than Spring overall, there is something about the feeling I get seeing all the plants grow, the leaves come back, tonsContinue reading “Celebrating the Vernal Equinox” Continue reading →

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The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on February 8, 2021 by mattj3

How long the universe has existed is often difficult to understand, especially when its duration vastly surpasses our human history. As a whole, we understand through experiences collected in our lives, using these to mark and scale information. However, the measure of the universe is something unfathomable next to our comparatively short lives. Its lengthContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading →

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