The Early Astronomers

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The Early Astronomers

• Click the telescope to enter

Created By Mr. Currence 2005
Click here for credits
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Ptolemy

• Ptolemy was an astronomer and mathematician. He
  believed that the Earth was the center of the
  Universe. The word for earth in Greek is geo, so
  we call this idea a "geocentric" theory. Even
  starting with this incorrect theory, he was able
  to combine what he saw of the stars' movements
  with mathematics, especially geometry, to predict
  the movements of the planets. His famous work was
  called the Almagesti.

How did his theory work?
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Ptolemys Technique

• In order to make his predictions true, he worked
  out that the planets must move in epicycles, or
  smaller circles, and the Earth itself moved along
  an equant. None of this was true, but it made the
  math work for his predictions. This flawed view
  of the Universe was accepted for many centuries.

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epicycle
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Aristotle

• He is sometimes called the grandfather of
  science. He studied under the great philosopher
  Plato and later started his own school, the
  Lyceum at Athens. He believed in a geocentric
  Universe and that the planets and stars were
  perfect spheres though Earth itself was not. He
  further thought that the movements of the planets
  and stars must be circular since they were
  perfect and if the motions were circular, then
  they could go on forever. Today, we know that
  none of this is the case, but Aristotle was so
  respected that these wrong answers were taught
  for a very long time.

What else did Aristotle do?
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Aristotle The Lifelong Student

• Aristotle, outside of astronomy, was a champion
  observer. He was one of the first to study
  plants, animals, and people in a scientific way,
  and he did believe in experimenting whenever
  possible and developed logical ways of thinking.
  This is a critical legacy for all the scientists
  who followed after him.

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Aristotle

• Born in Greece
• Nickname The Philosopher
• Career Highlights
• Supported Geocentric Model
• Believed that everything in the Universe was
  perfect, and that only your soul could understand
  perfection. That is why some things dont look
  perfect to the naked eye!

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The All Star Astronomers

• Select the Astronomers name to view his Official
  MLA Baseball Card
• Ptolemy
• Aristotle
• Copernicus
• Galileo

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Galileo Galilei

• Born in Italy
• Rookie Year June 1609
• Rookie Year Highlight Created first
  astronomical telescope
• Career Highlights
• Mapped Earths Moon 1609
• Discovered Moons of Jupiter1610
• Discovered Sunspots 1612

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Nicolas Copernicus

• Born in Poland
• Real Name - Mikolaj Kopernik
• Career Highlights
• 1512 Commentariolus stated that the sun was
  the center of the solar system
• 1530 De Revolutionibus said that Earth rotates
  on its axis every 24 hours and revolves around
  the sun every 365 days!

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When were the planets discovered?

• Mercury 3000 BC the Sumerians
• Venus Unknown the brightest object in the sky
  other than the sun and moon, Venus is called the
  morning star.
• Mars Since prehistoric times
• Jupiter since prehistoric times as the
  wandering star.
• Saturn since prehistoric times, rings not
  identified until 1659
• Neptune 1846
• Uranus 1781
• Pluto 1930
• Sedna? (2003 UB313) - 2003

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Claudius Ptolemy

• Interesting Fact Claudius is his Roman name, he
  was a Greek born in Egypt
• Specialty - Mathematics
• Career Observed from Alexandria, Egypt from AD
  127-141
• Highlight Almagest AD 120 states Earth
  is the center of the solar system, this theory
  was unchallenged for over 800 years
• Identified and named 48 constellations, we still
  use these names today.

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Select an Astronomer to Begin.
After reading about the astronomers, click here
for more info!
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Picture Credits

• Aristotle. detail from the "School of Athens" by
  Raphael, Source Museum Victoria downloaded from
  http//www.museum.vic.gov.au/scidiscovery/image_pa
  ges/mn001436.asp?URLhttp//www.museum.vic.gov.au/
  scidiscovery/scientists/aristotle.asp
• Copenicus and Galileo from http//www.phy6.org/sta
  rgaze/Ssolsys.htm
• Ptolemy from http//ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/
• Epicycle from http//www.opencourse.info/astronomy
  /introduction/05.motion_planets/geocentric_cosmolo
  gy.gif
• Geocentric model from http//abyss.uoregon.edu/js
  /images/Heraclides_SS.gif
• Heliocentric model from http//abyss.uoregon.edu/
  js/ast121/lectures/lec02.html
• Aristotle bust from http//faculty.washington.edu/
  smcohen/433/Aristotle.jpg
• Galileo bust from http//www.biografiasyvidas.com/
  monografia/galileo/fotos/galileo_domenico_crespi.j
  pg
• SOX player from http//chicagofantasybaseballcamp.
  com/images/Boston.jpg
• Jason Isringhouse from http//members.tripod.com/
  baseball301434/Isringhausen/Isringhausen15.jpg
• Catcher from http//bogardancyf.tripod.com/Picture
  s/catcher.jpg
• Getz (Michigan) from http//www.mgoblue.com/images
  /baseball/04-05/getz.jpg

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Copernicus

• Well over a thousand years after Aristotle,
  Copernicus came up with a radical way of looking
  at the Universe. His heliocentric system put the
  Sun (helio) at the center of our system. He was
  not the first to have this theory, but was the
  first to publish it. Earlier star watchers had
  believed the same, but it was Copernicus who
  brought it to the world of the Renaissance and
  used his own observations of the movements of the
  planets to back up his idea.

Was Copernicus a nerd?
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Unbelievable!

• His ideas, including the revelation that the
  Earth rotates on its axis, were too different for
  most of the scholars of his time to accept. They
  used only parts of his theory. Those who did
  study his work intact often did so in secret.
  They were called Copernicans.

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Galileo

• Born in Pisa, Italy approximately 100 years after
  Copernicus, Galileo became a brilliant student
  with an amazing genius for invention and
  observation. He had his own ideas on how motion
  really worked, as opposed to what Aristotle had
  taught, and devised a telescope that could
  enlarge objects up to 20 times. He was able to
  use this telescope to prove the truth of the
  Copernican system of heliocentrism.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend!
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Galileos Fate

• He published his observations which went against
  the established teaching of the Church. He was
  brought to trial and, although he made a
  confession of wrong-doing, he was still
  imprisoned for life. But it was too late to lock
  away the knowledge that Galileo shared. Other
  scientists, including Sir Isaac Newton and
  Johannes Kepler, seized its importance and were
  able to learn even more about the ways of the
  world and the heavens beyond.