Category Archives: Historical

Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicholas Copernicus: Born: February 19th, 1473 Death: May 24th, 1543 Copernicus was an influential figure for astronomy because of his work in promoting the heliocentric model that ultimately led to the Copernican Revolution. While Aristarchus first proposed a sun centered model, Copernicus’ work in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium signified a change from a Ptolemaic modelContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15th, 1564 and died on November 15th, 1630. Galileo, operating in a world of general ignorance surrounding the concepts of physics, is held as the father of modern physics. His early (and somewhat rough) discoveries in astronomy solidified the idea that the sun was the center of our universe—notContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Copernicus in Context

Astronomer: Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) Copernicus purported seven postulates in his Commentariolus, and the postulates became the foundation of the heliocentric cosmology (David Weintraub, “Copernicus” (Nashville, TN, 2020)).  The postulates were the following (quoted directly from Weintraub): There is not a single center for all the celestial orbs or spheresContinue reading “Copernicus in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo Galilei made many significant contributions to the field of astronomy studies. Primarily, he was able to offer new knowledge on laws of circular motion and inertia which served as a catalyst to the further studying of motion. Additionally, he utilized telescopic conformation in understanding the phases of Venus, analyzed sun spots, Saturn’s rings, andContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicholas Copernicus.  Born February 1473, Died May 1543. Johannes Kepler. Born December 1571, Died November 1630. Tycho Brahe.  Born December 1546, Died October 1601. Galileo Galilei. Born February 1564, Died January 1642. Isaac Newton. Born January 1643, Died March 1727. Nicholas Copernicus and Isaac Newton did not live with any of the scientists on thisContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Johannes Kepler – born on December 27th, 1571 and died on November 15th, 1630. Jamestown – established in 1607. This was the first major English town/colony in the Americas, and it marked the beginning of the settlement of North America. Thirty Years War – began in 1618. This was a major conflict between Protestants andContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

The Astronomer I chose was Nicholas Copernicus. Copernicus is important because he was the first person to suggest the idea of our world being heliocentric; he first thought of the sun being the center of our solar system, and that Earth orbits around the sun. This theory, is the one that we know to beContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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Galileo Galilei: More Than a Fun Name to Say

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy, on February 15, 1564 (his birthday is tomorrow!) and died on January 8, 1642 (Wikipedia Contributors, 2021). Galileo was instrumental to the field of astronomy (and arguably one of the most iconic astronomers), with one of his most prominent contributions being the solidification of the Copernican view. Galileo… Continue reading

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Historical Figures in Context

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 1st, 1473, and he died on May 24th, 1543. You can find this information, as well as more information about Copernicus’s life here. Nicolaus Copernicus came up with the heliocentric model of the universe, which theorized that the Sun, rather than the Earth, was at the center of the … Continue reading Historical Figures in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

My chosen historical astronomer is Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer known for developing the scientific method, improving the telescope, and living under house arrest. During Galilei’s life, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar, the one we use today, to replace the previous Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is slightly more accurate. TheContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading

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