Solar System Timeline

Thales

Jan 1, 1000

Astronomer: Thales (624-546 BC)
Nationality: Greek Thales was a Greek philosopher who journeyed to Mesopotamia and Egypt, where he brought astronomical records back from both cultures back to Greece. He also believed that the Earth is a floating disk on a never-ending ocean. According to legend, he also correctly predicted a solar eclipse back in the year 585 BC.

Anaximander

Jan 1, 1000

Astronomer: Anaximander (611-547 BC)
Nationality: Greek
Place of Birth: Miletus, Turkey Anaximander was the first ever philosopher who made a detailed map on Earth and the sky. He knew that the Earth was round and believed that the Earth is hovering with nothing supporting it. He was also taught at the Milesian school by his master Thales who was also another famous astronomer which is also listed on this timeline.

Claudius Ptolemy

Jan 1, 1000

Astronomer: Claudius Ptolemy (90-168AD)
Nationality: Roman
Place of Birth: Alexandria, Egypt
Place of Death: Alexandria, Egypt Ptolemy set up a model of the Solar System where the other planets, the sun and the stars orbitted arount Earth(also known as the Ptolemaic system). This system was thought to be true for hundreds of years but turned out to be incorrect.

Aristotle

Jan 1, 1000

Astronomer:Aristotle (384-322BC)
Nationality:Greek
Place of Birth:Stagira, Greece
Place of Death:Chalcis, Greece Aristotle proved that the Earth was spherical and believed that it was at the center of the universe. He had a very scientific reason to prove his theory. He knew that if Earth rotated around the sun, then we should be able to see the stars in the sky shift positions. He wasn't able to detect this shift in stars, so he concluded that the Earth must rest in the centre of the universe.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Feb 19, 1473

Astronomer: Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
Nationality: Polish
Place of Birth: Torun, Poland
Place of Death: Frombork, Poland Nicolaus Copernicus constructed a model of the solary system where the Earth rotates around the sun. The model he made was not entirely correct, but changed the thought of how people viewed the solar syetem.

Galileo Galilei

Feb 15, 1564

Astronomer: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Nationality: Italian
Place of Birth: Pisa, Italy
Place of Death: Arcetri, Italy Galileo is very famous because of his invention of the telescope. With his telescope, he looked through it and discovered the 4 primary moons of Jupiter, as well as the rings of Saturn.

Giovanni Cassini

Jun 8, 1625

Astronomer: Giovanni Cassini (1625-1712)
Nationality: Italian/French
Place of Birth: Perinaldo, Italy
Place of Death: Paris, France Giovanni Cassini discovered how long it would take for Mars and Jupiter to rotate, as well as four moons of Saturn and even the gaps on its rings.

William Herschel

Nov 15, 1738

Astronomer: William Herschel (1738-1822)
Nationality: Hanoverian-born British
Place of Birth: Hanover, Germany
Place of Death: Slough, United Kingdom William Herschel discovered numerous planets in our solar system including the planet Uranus and two of its brightest moons, two of Saturns moons and the ice caps on Mars.

Carl Sagan

Nov 9, 1934

Astronomer: Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
Nationality: American
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Place of Death: Seattle, Washington, United States Carl Sagan was an astronomer which made many significant scientific studies on planetary science. He not only made many discoveries but also popularized astronomy to lots of people around the world. His passionate teaching on the universe impacted many people and even educated them through TV.

Stephen Hawking

Jan 1, 1942

Astronomer: Stephen Hawking (Born 1942)
Nationality: British
Birth Place: Oxford, United Kingdom Stephen Hawking has made many important insights on into the field of cosmology. He said that as the universe has a beginning, there will also be an end. He also suggested that the universe had no limits and that meant that there were no boundries.