Ancient Astronomers

  • Eratosthenes
    240 BCE

    Eratosthenes

    Calculated the Earth's size and this was important because it showed that Earth was a sphere.
  • Claudius Ptolemy
    150

    Claudius Ptolemy

    Known for his Theory of Epicycles which was important because it explained retrograde motion.
  • Tycho Brahe
    1577

    Tycho Brahe

    Observed the Great Comet and concluded that the comet was farther away than the Moon.
  • Nicolaus Copernicus

    Nicolaus Copernicus

    Proposed that planets orbit around the Sun and this was important because it laid the foundation for understanding the motion of heavenly bodies.
  • Johannes Kepler

    Johannes Kepler

    He defined the Laws of Planetary Motion and this was important because it gave the first connection between planets.
  • Sir Isaac Newton

    Sir Isaac Newton

    Came up with the 3 Laws of Motion which was important because it's the basis of our modern Physics.
  • Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein

    Came up with the Theory of Relativity which showed that time is not constant and neither are mass and weight.