Category Archives: Historical

Astronomy’s Pioneers

Isaac Newton was something truly special – I’ve heard many, in my opinion correctly, claim him to be the most intelligent human that has ever lived. From finding an infinite series to describe the precise digits of pi into infinity, to inventing calculus, to observing the laws of motion and beginning to crack the code […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

by me Galileo Galilei: Born on February 15, 1564, Died on January 8, 1642 Two major historical events during Galileo’s lifetime: A famous historical figure during Galileo’s lifetime:  Queen Elizabeth I: Born on September 7, 1533, Died on March 24, 1603. Queen Elizabeth I established a secure Church of England and laid out a compromise […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

I chose to learn more about Isaac Newton! He was born on December 25th, 1642 and died on March 31st, 1727. Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation that helped explain the force that determines the motion of celestial bodies. Newton established the three laws of motion, the law of inertia, the law of […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton (January 4, 1643 – March 31, 1727): Isaac Newton was a pivotal figure in astronomy and physics due to his concepts of the laws of motion and universal gravitation. Newton’s laws of universal gravitation, which were formed from his three laws of motion, state that every particle attracts every other particle with a […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers In Context

Galileo Galilei (2/15/1564-1/8/1642) began his important contributions to astronomy with his further development of the telescope. According to Wikipedia, he has many important contributions. One of his notable contributions is the progress he made in observing the moon. He focused on the moon’s craters, valleys, and mountains. He discovered Jupiter’s four largest moons through observing […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicolaus Copernicus Born: February 19th, 1472 Died: May 24th, 1543 Image by: Britannica Nicholas Copernicus was important in astronomy because he opposed the idea that everything revolves around the Earth. He argued that we and all other planets revolved around the sun, not the Earth. He also believed that the orbits of each of the […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Brittanica Johannes Kepler: December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630– Kepler was originally hired by Tycho Brahe to do many calculations because brahe was not a profound mathematician. After Tycho’s death, Kepler was able to secure some of his formerly privatized data and observations to develop what would become known as Kepler’s Laws of Planetary […] Continue reading

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Copernicus in Context

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 and died on May 24, 1543. Throughout Copernicus’ life, many key historical events took place that altered the state of knowledge and culture at the time. In 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Germany. His writing criticized the […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicholas Copernicus was an essential figure to the astronomy world because he suggested the concept of the heliocentric model of the solar system. Unlike previous astronomers who believed that planets revolve around Earth, Copernicus postulated that the Sun is at the center of the Solar System and that all the planets, including Earth, revolved about […] Continue reading

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Historical astronomers in context

Johannes Kepler: December 27, 1571- November 15, 1630. Kepler was important to astronomy because he developed three laws of planetary motion. He determined that 1) planets orbit the sun on an ellipse, 2) in an orbit equal areas are swept out in equal times with planets moving faster the closer they get to a gravitational […] Continue reading

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