"History Of Astronomy"

"History Of Astronomy"  

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"History Of Astronomy"," 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. Stonehenge was important for religious reasons, but people also believed the stars could help guide their lives and foretell events. The stars were also a guide in the sky, used by sailors to navigate journeys. In 256 BCE the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth using the angles of shadows cast by the sun. 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. Early telescopes were limited because their glass lenses tended to distort the images. A string of discoveries soon followed, including the discovery two new planets, Uranus (1781) and Neptune (11845). In 1801, 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. Technological advances made possible huge telescopes like the one at Mount Palomar which has a 200-inch mirror. The best known of these is the Hubble Telescope, launched into Earth orbit by space shuttle Discovery in 1990. Amateur Astronomy Astronomy is unusual because amateurs remain an important part of the search for new knowledge, discovering supernovas, comets, and other objects. 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. . TRY SOMETHING NEW JUST CLICK HERE  

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Astronomy