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255 BCE
Eratosthenes
Made the first measurement of the size of Earth for which any details are known. His findings helped future scientists calculate the exact measurement of not only Earth, but also other planets. -
Period: 150 to 170
Ptolemy
Made the Ptolemaic system. It was a geocentric system that postulated that the apparently irregular paths of the Sun, Moon, and planets were actually a combination of several regular circular motions seen in perspective from a stationary Earth. He influenced medieval astronomy in the Islamic world and Europe. -
1514
Nicolaus Copernicus
First one to propose that the planets have the Sun as the fixed point to which their motions are to be referred. Also figured out the Earth rotates on its axis which causes the equinoxes. This discovery is important because his theories and discoveries inspired others like Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton during the Scientific Revolution. -
1572
Tycho Brahe
A comprehensive study of the solar system and accurate positions of more than 777 fixed stars. Also discovered the supernova. 1565 - 1572 His discoveries are important because they led to future astronomy discoveries and a better understanding of our universe and how it works. -
Johannes Kepler
Discovered three major laws of planetary motion: The planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus; The time necessary to traverse any arc of a planetary orbit is proportional to the area of the sector between the central body and that arc There is an exact relationship between the squares of the planets’ periodic times and the cubes of the radii of their orbits. His discoveries helped Issac Newton on his laws of gravity and helped him prove them with mathematics and physics -
Period: to
Issac Newton
His discoverey of the composition of white light integrated the phenomena of colours into the science of light and laid the foundation for modern physical optics. In mechanics, his three laws of motion, the basic principles of modern physics, resulted in the law of universal gravitation. In mathematics, he was the discoverer of infinitesimal calculus. His discoveries changed the whole field of science and would inspire many upcoming scientists. -
Period: to
Albert Einstein
Developed the special and general theories of relativity, and expanded on many subjects such as such as wormholes, higher dimensions, the possibility of time travel, the existence of black holes, and the creation of the universe. His contributions completely changed the physics field. Scientists were not able to fully comprehend and unravel his theories until the 70s and 80s.