Tag Archives: astro2110

Archeoastronomy: the Ancient Greeks

The quest for knowledge about the universe we live in is not a modern phenomenon. Many cultures throughout history have devoted a significant amount of time and resources in pursuit of this knowledge. One ancient civilization that dramatically improved our knowledge of astronomy was the ancient Greeks. One of the main goals of Greek astronomers […] Continue reading

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We know the way

A long time ago, before we had our fancy GPS and siri to tell us where to go and how to get to and from places, we had to rely on the sky, more specifically the stars (the Sun included). We learned to use the stars and Sun to tell time and by creating angle […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo Galilei: Galileo Galilei revolutionized the field of Astronomy by providing conclusive evidence to disprove astronomical misconceptions that had stagnated humanities understanding of the solar system, and the universe, for more than a thousand years. Prior to Galileo, scientists asserted that Earth could not be moving because under that scenario a falling object would land […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

I chose to learn more about Galileo (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642). Two major historical events that happened during Galileo’s lifetime were: On May 14, 1607, when Galileo was around 43, the colony of Jamestown was founded in what is now Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. In […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicholas Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 and died on May 24, 1543. During the time that he was alive, a couple of historically interesting things happened. Of course, Copernicus himself was the first modern astronomer to propose a…

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) is very well-known for his heliocentric theory which postulated that the sun is the center of the solar system. It had been widely believed that the earth was the center of the universe and it wasn’t until Copernicus that this belief began to shift. Initially the […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers In Context

Nicholas Copernicus: Nicholas Copernicus was extremely impactful to the astronomical world and to society as a whole. Up until Copernicus, the world believed that the earth was the ‘center’ of the universe. Copernicus created the Heliocentric model of the Solar System, saying that the Earth revolves around the sun along with other planets. In 1532, […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

In this post we will be discussing Galileo Galilei in context of his historical era. But first, a little detail about Galilei himself. Galileo Galilei is notable for his astronomical work with the telescope. Using the apparatus that could magnify objects to 20 times their size, he was able to observe the surface of the […] Continue reading

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Separation of Church and State (of Astronomy)

Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630) was a massively important astronomer because he was the first to recognize that orbits were not perfect circles, but in fact ellipses. This was particularly significant because it allowed accurate predictions that supported the heliocentric model. He also found that orbiting objects move faster when closer to the object they […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton was born January 4, 1643 and died March 31, 1727. Historical events that happened during his life Charles I beheading was January 30, 1649. He was put on trial for treason and declared guilty soon after. Restoration of England was a period that began in 1660 and ended in 1685. It meant for…Continue reading » Continue reading

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