History+of+astronomy



media type="custom" key="4549930" 3000BC Egyptians developed calenders using the positions of the stars. they drew the oldest known constellation shapes.

2446BC chinese astronomers discovered that planets move in space.

370BC Aristtotle was a greek philosopher and scientist. he believed that the earthwas not flat, even though most people in his time thought it was. he thought the earth was the centre of the universe with the sun, moon and stars orbiting the earth instead of the sun.

AD 150 Greek astronomer Clauius Ptolemy studied the movement of the moon and the planets. his ideas and theories lasted more than 1400 years.

AD1006 chinese astronomers observed the brightest supernova ever recorded. It shone for two months and was so bright that it could even be seen during the day.

AD1796 pierre simon laplaced of france suggested that the sun and the rest of the solar system formed from a cloud of gas called a nebula.

AD1687 Isacc Newton was able to explain why the planets orbited the sun. his universal law of gravitation showed that all objects in the universe attract each other.

AD1609 Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei was the first to turn the optical telescope to the skies. His observations supported copernicus theory over phemyys. Galileos ideas about astronomy conflicted with the ideas held by the chathlic church at that time. So at 74 years of age lie was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life.



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