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100
Ptolemy's Life and Accomplishments
Ptolemy was born around 100A.D. He wrote the Almagest and added the idea that planets move in epicycles. -
276
Eratosthenes' Life and Accomplishments
Eratosthenes was born in Greece in 276B.C. His major contribution to astronomy was calculateing the circumference of the earth. He was very close to the actualthe head librarian in Alexandria, Egypt. -
Period: 347 to 367
Aristotle's Time Studying Under Plato
Aristotle was born around 384B.C. when he was seventeen he traveled to Athens to study under Plato. He studied for twenty (from 367B.C.to 347B.C.) years and during this time he observed nature and made theories about how it worked. His observations led him to believe that the planets moved in elliptical orbits around the earth.His theory was considered fact for several hundred years. -
560
Pythagoras' Life and Accomplishments
Pythagoras was born around 560B.C. in Greece. He was one of the earliest known astronomers. He and a group of Greeks moved to Croton in southern Italy, they started a school for religious and philosophical ideas.Pythagorus used his love of science and math to study the stars and planets.He and his followers believed that the earth revoled around a huge fire deep inside its core. Also that the sun and all other planets revolve around the fire. -
Feb 19, 1473
Copernicus' Life and Accomplishments
Nicalous Copernicus was born on February 19,1473. He practiced medicine and law for his church for many years, but he always loved astronomy. In 1514 he wrote a paper that challenged the goecentric theory.He agreed with parts of many other famous astronomers' theories, but he believed in the heliocentric theory. -
Dec 14, 1546
Brahe's Life and Accomplishments
Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546. He discovered five comets and a nova. He did not agree with the heliocentric theory or the geocentric theory so he develpoed hiss own theory called the Tychonic system. His system says that the Moon and Sun revolve around the Earth but all other planets revolve around the Sun. -
Feb 15, 1564
Galileo's Life and Accomplishments
In 1564 on February 15 Galileo Galilei was born in Italy.Galileo became interested in astronomy when a supernova appeared in 1604. He was iintroduced to a toy that made far away things look closer, this helped him develope his own telescope. He used this telescope to prove that the Sun is the center of the universe. -
Dec 27, 1571
Kepler's Life and Accomplishments
Kepler was born on December 27, 1571. He studied under Tyco Brahe and supported most of Copernicus' theories. He developed laws regarding planetary motion, his first law states that the Sun is the center of the universe and that the planets revolve around it in elliptical orbits. The second law states that Planets move faster when thier orbits brings them closer to the Sun. His third law is a mathematical equation to determine the distance between a planet and the Sun. -
Newton's Life and Accomplishments
Sir Isaac Newton was born on January 4,1643 in England.He made many contributions to all the major areas of science known during his time. He is most well known in the field of astronomy for his laws of motion and gravity. -
Herschel's Life and Accomplishments
William Herschel was born in Germany on November 15, 1738. In 1781 Herschel descovered a new planet, he called this new planet "Georgium Sidus". In 1782 he made a new telescope that was even larger than his others with this he discovered Georgium Sidus has two moons. The name did not stick so the planet is now called Uranus. -
Eudoxus' Life and Accomplishments
Eudoxus was born in Greece at about 408B.C.He was a scholar and was interested in the movement of celstial bodies.He believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that the planets moved in evenly spaced circles. -
Hipparchus' Life and Accomplishments
Hipparchus was born around 190B.C, in Nicea(current day Iznick, Turkey). He believed that the earth is the center of the universe and that all other celestial boddies revolve around the earth in perfect, evenly spaced circles.