History of Astronomy

By RevolutionaryFreckleBoi
  • 384 BCE

    Arisotle

    Arisotle
    He knew that if the Earth revolved around the sun, then we should see the stars shift position throughout the year. Since he did not have the technology to detect the shift, as we do today, he concluded that the Earth must rest at the center of the universe. He figured out the Earth was spherical. Aristotle believed that the sun and stars were on separate shells that revolve around the Earth.
  • 190 BCE

    Hipparchus

    Hipparchus
    He created the first star catalog. First one to come up with equinoxes. He calculated the distance from the Earth to the moon, using distance and size.
  • 168

    Ptolemy

    Ptolemy
    Wrote Almagest a set of astronomy manuals which catalogues the stars, eclipses the movement of the sun and moon. His model is the geocentric theory and also called the Ptolemaic Model. He relied on Hipparchus’ astronomy work for the star catalog.
  • 1543

    Copernicus

    Copernicus
    Mathematician and astronomer and identified the concept of the Heliocentric solar system.
  • 1546

    Tycho Brahe

    Tycho Brahe
    Known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical instruments and planetary observations.
  • 1564

    Galileo

    Galileo
    Italian Scientist considered Godfather of modern astronomy. 4 moons of jupiter
  • 1570

    Hans Lippershey

    Hans Lippershey
    Was a lens maker from Germany but moved to the Netherlands. Believed to be the first to apply for a patent for the telescope design of 3X magnification.
  • 1571

    Johannes Kepler

    Johannes Kepler
    Tycho Brahe’s assistant. Discovered that the orbit of the planets are not circular but elliptical

  • Cassini

    Cassini
    Italian who discovered the division of the rings of Saturn. 4 of Saturn’s moons, and the rotation periods of Mars and Jupiter.

  • Isaac Newton

    Isaac Newton
    Further developed works of Copernicus and Kepler using math. Invented reflecting telescope 1668

  • William Herschel

    William Herschel
    He discovered 2 more of Saturn's moons. Believed to have found polar ice on Mars. He also found Uranus and it's moons.

  • Percival Lowell

    Percival Lowell
    Discovered the planet Pluto and studied the “canalis” on Mars.

  • Ejnar Hertzsprung .

    Ejnar Hertzsprung .
    He created the HR diagram. He was also a chemist and astronomer.

  • Albert einstein

    Albert einstein
    Theory of Relativity and gravitation

  • Edwin Hubble

    Edwin Hubble
    Using the color of the stars, discovered the universe is expanding.

  • Karl Jansky

    Karl Jansky
    Discovered the radio waves are emanating from space.

  • Sputnik

    Sputnik
    Russia sent the first satellite into space. It caused the US to create NASA

  • Yuri Gagarin

    Yuri Gagarin
    First human to orbit the Earth

  • John Glenn

    John Glenn
    1st U.S. Citizen to orbit Earth
  • Period: to

    Apollo Missions

    The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth.

  • Neil Armstrong

    Neil Armstrong
    He was the first man to walk on the moon.

  • First Space Shuttle Flight

    First Space Shuttle Flight
    Space Shuttle Columbia was he first reusable space craft. Launch like a rocket and land like a plane

  • Mars Pathfinder Expedition

    Mars Pathfinder Expedition
    It took a year to get there. It was the first root rover to be on the surface of the Mars

  • Cassini orbiter

    Cassini orbiter
    It orbited until crashing into Saturn. Nasa knew it would happen.