Astronomy: Myth and Science

Anaximander of Miletus

He produced attempts to explain the science of the universe.

Pythagoras

He established a school in Croton and promoted the idea of a cosmos in which bodies move in perfect spheres.

Aristotle

In his *On the Heavens*, he outlined an Earth-centered model of the universe. Many of his ideas will dominate thinking for 2,000 years.

On the Heavens

In this writing of Aristotle, he outlined an Earth-centered model of the universe.

Aristarchus of Samos

He proposes a sun-centered model of the universe, but his concept is not widely accepted.

Eratothenes of Alexandria

He calculated the distance to the sun by measuring the circumference of the Earth.

Ptolemy

He wrote the Almagest, setting out an Earth-centered model of the universe that which are widely accepted.

Aryabhata of Aryabhatiya

An Indian astronomer, claims that the stars move across the sky because the Earth rotates..

Ibn al-Haytham

He creates a work that criticizes the complexity of the Ptolemaic model of the universe.

Gerard of Cremona

He made Arabic texts, including the Almagest, which made it accessible in Europe and translated them to Latin.

Guo Shoujing

A Chinese astronomer, he determined the length of the solar year with precision.

Ulugh Beg

A Mongol Rule, corrected many of the postions of stars found in the Almagest.

Nicolaus Copernicus

His book *De revolutionibus orbium coelestium* is published, outlining a sun-centered cosmos.

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

This book of Copernicus outlined a sun-centered cosmos.

Thales of Miletus

He was the first in a long line of philosophers who believed that logical reasoning could reveal the immutable laws of nature.

Aristotle

He was was a student of Plato, and both shared Pythagoras' ideas, which held that the natural world was a "cosmos" as opposed to a "chaos."

heavenly realms

Aristotle claimed that the ______ are perfect and unchanging, but he also supported ideas that made "common sense" sense.

150 CE

Ptolemy compiled the ultimate compendium of Greek astronomy.

1054 supernova

Astronomers from China, the Arab world, and Japan documented the _______, which created the well-known Crab nebula in the constellation Taurus.

Baghdad

In 740 CE, _____ grew into an important learning center for the Islamic world.

1180

Gerard of Cremona made Arabic texts, including the Almagest, which made it accessible in Europe and translated them to Latin.

550 BCE

Anaximander of Miletus produced attempts to explain the science of the universe.

530 BCE

Pythagoras established a school in Croton and promoted the idea of a cosmos in which bodies move in perfect spheres.

350 BCE

In his *On the Heavens*, Aristotle outlined an Earth-centered model of the universe.

220 BCE

Aristarchus of Samos proposes a sun-centered model of the universe, but his concept is not widely accepted.

200 BCE

Eratothenes of Alexandriab calculated the distance to the sun by measuring the circumference of the Earth.

1279

Guo Shoujing, a Chinese astronomer, he determined the length of the solar year with precision.

1437

Ulugh Beg, a Mongol Rule, corrected many of the postions of stars found in the Almagest.

1543

Nicolaus Copernicus: His book *De revolutionibus orbium coelestium* is published, outlining a sun-centered cosmos.