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Tag Archives: history
Johannes Kepler in Context
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
Posted in Class, Historical
Tagged astro2110, history, Kepler
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Our Entire Universe in One Year
Imagine if we were able to fit the history of our entire universe—from the Big Bang all the way up to today—into a single calendar year. That would be crazy right? Well look no further because that’s exactly what the Cosmic Calendar is. Created and popularized by Carl Sagan, the cosmic calendar compresses 14 billionContinue reading “Our Entire Universe in One Year” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog1, cosmiccalendar, history, Time
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The Cosmic Calendar
The Cosmic Calendar was created to help visualize the chronology of the universe. It takes the 13.8 billion year history of the universe and scales it to 1 year. I think it is a great concept because it really helps to put in perspective how long the universe has been around. To think that ChristContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading
El Castillo
El castillo, a pyramid at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, is a Mayan temple dedicated to the plumed serpent God Kukulcán. The structure’s design is deeply related to astronomy and the calendar. Firstly, there are 91 steps on each of the four sides and a top platform, making 365 steps, one for each day of theContinue reading “El Castillo” Continue reading
An Important Musician In Astronomy
Many will remember William Herschel as the one who found planet Uranus. This founding was shocking and revolutionary. After all, Uranus was the first star found by humans for a long time. Nevertheless, there are many more interesting things one can say about William Herschel. For one, he did not train to be an astronomer.Continue reading “An Important Musician In Astronomy” Continue reading
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Tagged astro2110, blog5, history
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The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔
“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy So you want to study space? Now, … Continue reading The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔 Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Observables, Stars, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog4, history, technology
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The History of Astronomy
Astronomy, the scientific study of the universe and of the objects that exist naturally in space, is one of the oldest natural sciences to reach a high level of sophistication. The history of this science has impressive continuity and duration, as observed changes would take thousands, millions, and even billions of years. In 3000 BC,Continue reading “The History of Astronomy” Continue reading
The Astronomy behind Astrology
While astrology is widely disproven as a form of science in our modern age, it has its origins in the beginnings of computational astronomy. As explained by David Lindberg in his book The Beginnings of Western Science, “By the end of the fifth century B.C., Babylonian celestial divination had expanded to embrace horoscopic astrology, whichContinue reading “The Astronomy behind Astrology” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Stars
Tagged astro2110, Astrology, blog1, history, precession, Solar System: Sun, zodiacs
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The Cosmic Calendar
What is the Cosmic Calendar? Carl Sagan, a famous astronomer, promoted this idea of the cosmic calendar, that essentially is a tool used to help people visualize and understand how far apart events in the Universe are. Sagan has chronologically arranged the hallmark events of the Universe’s 13.8 billion year life span into just aContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading
Comets as Omens of the Future
Comets have been noticed by ancient civilizations for millenia, and, like many other celestial bodies, were viewed as omens of the future. Comets in particular were considered bad omens. The most famous example is Halley’s Comet, seen in 1066 by the English and theorized to have been an omen for Harold II of England’s death. … Continue reading Comets as Omens of the Future Continue reading