Category Archives: Historical

Tell Us How the Heavens Flow: the Life and Execution of Giordano Bruno (Blog #3)

On February 17th, we will pass the 418th anniversary of Giordano Bruno’s execution. Bruno, while not as well-known as some of other cosmologists and theologians of the 16th century, proposed many theories which today are considered scientific fact. He took the Copernican model of the universe and took it to absolute extremes. While the Earth … Continue reading Tell Us How the Heavens Flow: the Life and Execution of Giordano Bruno (Blog #3) Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

My chosen astronomer is Nicolaus Copernicus who was born on February 19, 1473 and died on May 24, 1543. In 1512, Michelangelo finished the Sistine Chapel, which is regarded as one of the most notable interior space paintings of all time and took Michelangelo four years to complete. In 1520 the Stockholm Bloodbath saw King … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

My chosen astronomer is Nicolaus Copernicus who was born on February 19, 1473 and died on May 24, 1543. In 1512, Michelangelo finished the Sistine Chapel, which is regarded as one of the most notable interior space paintings of all time and took Michelangelo four years to complete. In 1520 the Stockholm Bloodbath saw King … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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On This Day in Astronomy History…

  Thirty-four years ago today, on February 7th 1984, NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II became the first person to fly untethered from their spacecraft. McCandless, who just recently passed December 21st at the age of 80, was able to travel 320 feet from the space shuttle Challenger without any connection to the shuttle. He accomplished […] Continue reading

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Johannes Kepler: A Sign of the Times

Today I want to talk about Johannes Kepler (Born on December 27, 1571 at 1 PM; Died November 15, 1630). Kepler was the guy who came up with the three laws of planetary motion and basically, is the reason why we know how planets orbit things today (NASA). But did you know what was going on … Continue reading Johannes Kepler: A Sign of the Times Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (Dec. 14, 1546 – Oct. 24,1601) One of Brahe’s most acclaimed achievements was the observation of a supernova in 1572.  He used this event, along with a later observation of a comet, to refute the widely-accepted idea of celestial immutability.  Yet Brahe’s most important contributions to astronomy existed in the seemingly-mundane.  He recorded…

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Historical Events [1486] Giovanni Pico della Mirandola composes his Oration on the Dignity of Man. The best known philosopher of the Renaissance, it follows that his Oration, in which he defends 900 theological and philosophical theses, is the best known text of the 15th century. His challenge for debate on these topics attracted trouble from the church in the … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546 and he died on October 24, 1601. During the time of Tycho’s life, two significant historical events (among others) occurred. In 1560’s Europe, there was a great famine in which roughly 50% of all born infants would die within twelve months. The average life expectancy was about 45 years old. Also, In … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context: Tycho Brahe Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo made many contributions to astronomical discovery. Though he was not the original inventor of the telescope, he was able to build his own for observation purposes. After experimenting a bit, Galileo was able to create a telescope that was more powerful than others at the time. Using his invention, he was able to make … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading

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The History Surrounding His-story: Nicolaus Copernicus and Other Things Surrounding His Time

Nicolaus Copernicus, an astronomer of Polish descent, is most famously known for proposing that Earth and other planets orbit around the sun, better known as the heliocentric model for the solar system (Nicolaus Copernicus Biography, 2017). He was born on February 19th, 1473  and died on May 24th, 1543 (Nicolaus Copernicus Biography, 2017) He also discovered… Continue Reading → Continue reading

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