Your Astronomy Now

The history of astronomy is closely associated with the history of mankind.

Right from the beginning of history, man adored the natural forces and stars and anything that they could not define. The history of astronomy develops from Stonehenge to the famous astrophysicist Galileo to the telescope to the human planetary missions.

Stonehenge has a significant role in the evolution of astronomy. Stonehenge was built by the Neolithic people to establish the replica of Sun’s movement. They believed that the stars and other celestial objects can predict their future. So, Stonehenge had religious importance in those days. There were some practical realities in this belief. Predicting seasons correctly helped the farmers to plan their cultivation. Position of Stars was used as the guiding factors for sailors. The practical history of astronomy begins with the Stonehenge.

Astronomy greatly depends upon the theories of mathematics. Eratosthenes, one of the great Greek mathematicians defined the earth circumference by deriving the position of shadow created by sun. The history of astronomy greatly owed to another thinker, Ptolemy for his geocentric theory even though it was later discovered wrong.

The invention of telescope was a turning point in the history of astronomy. Hans Lippershey invented the first modern telescope in 1608. Isaac Newton was the person who invented the reflecting telescope. The history of astronomy had changed at this point. The discovery of Uranus, and Neptune was materialized by using this type of telescope.

Twentieth century is considered as the golden age of Astrophysics. In 1937, Grote Reber developed a sophisticated telescope called Radio telescope. The advancement in technology brought astronomy in a new realm. This advancement enabled astrophysicists to develop powerful telescopes such as the one in Mount Palmor; the telescope is with 200 inch mirror. This is one of the biggest telescopes in the history of astronomy.

The space shuttle, discovery has placed a telescope in the orbit of earth in 1990. This amazing telescope is no other than but Hubble Telescope. The functionality theory of the Hubble telescope is still based on the reflecting telescope of Newton! The telescope has historical importance because, it discovered around 200 planets till this date. Interestingly, placing the Hubble telescope in the orbit of earth was a landmark event in the history of astronomy.

Armature astrophysicists have an inevitable role in the proliferation of astronomy among the common. There are hundreds of amateur astronomers who contributed to the history of astronomy. David H. Levy was an amateur astrophysicist who was co-discovered shoemaker-levy comet.

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Tags: astronomy, Astrophysics, Hans Lippershey, History of Astronomy, Hubble telescope, Isaac Newton, Neptune, Radio telescope, Reflecting telescope, Telescope, Uranus

In no realm of nature is the principle of cause and effect more
conspicuous than in astronomy; and we fall into the habit of thinking
of its laws as not only being unchangeable in our universe, but
necessary to the conception of any universe that might have been
substituted in its place.

The first inhabitants of the world were
compelled to accommodate their acts to the daily and annual
alternations of light and darkness and of heat and cold, as much as to
the irregular changes of weather, attacks of disease, and the fortune
of war. They soon came to regard the influence of the sun, in
connection with light and heat, as a cause. This led to a search for
other signs in the heavens. If the appearance of a comet was sometimes
noted simultaneously with the death of a great ruler, or an eclipse
with a scourge of plague, these might well be looked upon as causes in
the same sense that the veering or backing of the wind is regarded as
a cause of fine or foul weather.

For these reasons we find that the earnest men of all ages have
recorded the occurrence of comets, eclipses, new stars, meteor
showers, and remarkable conjunctions of the planets, as well as
plagues and famines, floods and droughts, wars and the deaths of great
rulers. Sometimes they thought they could trace connections which
might lead them to say that a comet presaged famine, or an eclipse
war.

Tags: astronomy history, History of Astronomy

When we look to the stars, we think of the unknown and the future, but more than any other science, astronomy is deeply rooted in the past. From Stonehenge to Galileo to the Hubble telescope, the following article details the history of astronomy Stonehenge.

The Egyptians, Mayans, and Chinese were all avid observers of the heavens. Perhaps the most recognizable example in history is Stonehenge which was built to the movements of the sun by the Neolithic people of Britain. Stonehenge was important for religious reasons, but people also believed the stars could help guide their lives and foretell events. This was true in a very practical sense: accurately predicting the seasons helped farmers plan their crop season. The stars were also a guide in the sky, used by sailors to navigate journeys.
Around the World
Astronomy was one of the first branches of knowledge to rely on mathematics. In 256 BCE the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth using the angles of shadows cast by the sun. About 140 CE Ptolemy, another Greek thinker, advanced a “geocentric” of the universe with the Sun orbiting the Earth.
The Telescope
Although Arabic astronomers and astrologers made advances over the next centuries, modern astronomy began with the invention of the telescope by Dutch lens maker Hans Lippershey in 1608. The next year Galileo Galilei used a telescope and discovered craters on the Moon and the four large moons of Jupiter. Early telescopes were limited because their glass lenses tended to distort the images. Isaac Newton solved this problem in 1668 by inventing the reflecting telescope, using mirrors instead of lenses. A string of discoveries soon followed, including the discovery two new planets, Uranus (1781) and Neptune (11845).
Golden Age of Astronomy
The twentieth century became the Golden Age of astronomy. In 1901, the discovery of the first asteroid, Ceres, started a flood of new objects in the heavens as the tools astronomers work with have grown in variety and sophistication. In 1937 Grote Reber built the first radio telescope. Technological advances made possible huge telescopes like the one at Mount Palomar which has a 200-inch mirror.
The Hubble Telescope
Today astronomers have even more exiting tools. The best known of these is the Hubble Telescope, launched into Earth orbit by space shuttle Discovery in 1990. Amazingly, the Hubble is still based on Newton’s original reflecting telescope! Yet it and other space-based instruments are so powerful they have discovered more than 200 planets orbiting other stars.
Amateur Astronomy
Astronomy is unusual because amateurs remain an important part of the search for new knowledge, discovering supernovas, comets, and other objects. For example, the famous Shoemaker-Levy comet that struck Jupiter in 1994 was co-discovered by amateur David H. Levy-and it’s only one of 22 comets he has found!
The future of astronomy is as bright as the stars astronomers study-and for the rest of us as well. It is one of the few areas in which non-professionals can actively participate in humanity’s search for knowledge.
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Tags: astronomy history, History of Astronomy