Tag Archives: HW6

Historical Astronomers in Context

The astronomer I’ve picked is Sir Isaac Newton (Born January 4, 1643 – Died March 31, 1727).  Newton made discoveries that both directly indirectly impacted astronomy.  First, directly, Newton published the universal law of gravitation in The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, in 1687.  This law stated that the force of attraction between two objects […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

My chosen astronomer is Galileo Galilei, who lived from February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642 Events of the 1600’s during Galileo’s life Event 1: In 1632, the construction of the Taj Majal began, one of the most famous architectural feats in history. Event 2: In 1608, the famous Quebec city was established by Samuel de Champlain in Canada. […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Johannes Kepler

Who is Kepler Johannes Kepler’s most renowned contribution to astronomy was his development of the three laws of planetary motion. These three laws correctly defined the elliptic shape of all planetary orbits, established the equal area-equal time interval concept of solar radii, and equated the period of orbit with the size of the orbital elliptic […] Continue reading

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Galileo Galilei- Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo Galilei   pic source Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician Galileo Galilei ( 15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an astronomer who played an major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance.He was called the “father of observational astronomy” and the “father of modern physics”.His contribution to astronomy includes his discovery of the […] Continue reading

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“O, swear not by the moon…”

Johannes Kepler made important contributions to astronomy through his discovery that planetary orbits are ellipses. Kepler came to this conclusion after several years of painstaking effort trying to make sense of all the observations of his former master Brahe. Kepler also proposed three laws of planetary motion as a summary of his findings. Kepler was […] Continue reading

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Copernicus in Context

Nicholas Copernicus: February 19, 1473 to May 24, 1543 Nicholas Copernicus was a pioneer in the astronomical community. Working off of a previous notion, Copernicus was able to scientifically prove the heliocentric model of the universe. Previously, the idea of the universe was Earth-centric, but his work paved the way for a new way of thinking … Continue reading “Copernicus in Context” Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Tycho Brahe and the Age of Exploration

Tycho Brahe (1546 – 1601). Image source. Tycho Brahe was born 14 December 1546 in Knudstrup, Denmark. He was one of the most accurate astronomical observers before the telescope was invented, making extremely accurate naked eye observations. Though the consensus of the day was that the heavens were unchanging and any phenomenon that showed change occurred […] Continue reading

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a most galilean affair

Let’s talk about Galileo [February 15th, 1564 – January 8th, 1642]. Not only was he a champion of the Copernican heliocentric view of the cosmos; he also discovered four of Jupiter’s moons with his telescope – giving less and less credence to a critics of the heliocentric model because it showed that small objects could … Continue reading a most galilean affair Continue reading

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Astronomical History + Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus- February 19, 1473 to May 24, 1543 Nicholas Copernicus’ greatest contribution to science was the idea that the Sun was the center of our solar system rather than the Earth. In other words, a heliocentric model rather than a geocentric model. This was a major step forward in determining that the Earth is […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton (Jan 4, 1643 – Mar 31, 1727) Accomplishments Isaac Newton’s big contribution to Astronomy was the development of the Three Laws of Motion that applied to how everything in this universe moved. He developed the three laws after examining fellow astronomer, Johannes Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion. The laws include: “An object at […] Continue reading

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