Scientific Revolution Top 10

astronomy edition

10: Copernican SystemThe Copernican System is centered around the sun, and the other planets revolve around it.

It was created by astronomer Nicholas Copernicus in 1543

It was a scientific breakthrough as others thought the planets revolved around the earth

9: Star ChartAndraeus Cellarius invented the star chart in 1660 AD in order to map the path of the stars in the night sky

His works were controversial at the time since people still believed the sun revolved around the earth

The Star Chart is used as a reference point when studying orbits

8: The Elliptical OrbitJohannes Keplar was the first to discover that the planets do not revolve in a circular path

Their orbits are “elliptical” meaning they spin on their axis in a sort of oval-shape

The elliptical orbit of the planets is part of what classifies where they are located at different times of the year

7: The Moon’s SurfaceGalileo Galilee was the first to discover mountains on the moon’s surface in 1603

This was a major breakthrough for astronomy as it was previously thought that the moon and other planets were made of pure light energy

Galileo and other astronomers spent a lot of time mapping the moon’s surface

6: Sun Spots

Galileo Galili was the first to observe spots on the face of the sun, although Keplar also witnessed some unknowingly in 1607

Sunspots were a further testament to the long-ignored imperfections of the universe

5. The Outer PlanetsIn 1610, Galileo discovered several new planets with his telescope that were previously thought to be stars

The planets he discovered were Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune (and Venus, although it is not an outer planet

This gave scientists a broader look at the celestial bodies

4. The Telescope Hans Lipperhey, a German lensmaker, created the telescope in Sep. 1608

Galileo was the first to use the telescope to observe planets

Without telescopes, it would be nearly impossible to get a closer look at the stars and planets

3. The GlobeMartin Behaim was a german mapmaker and the inventor of the first globe in 1492

It was the first map ever to depict the earth in its spherical shape

The first globe was rife with geographical inaccuracies, but globes improved over time

2. Telescope Lenses

In 1654, Christian Huygens, Dutch physicist, found a new method for creating powerful telescope lenses out of glass

This made it much easier to see further into the night sky and gain a more crystal image of the planets and stars

1. The Laws of Physics

Sir Isaac Newton is credited with being one of the greatest geniuses of all time for writing down the principals of motion and gravity

Newton’s laws of physics and gravity would explain in high detail how the planets and moons rotate in space

Citationshttp://naasbeginners.co.uk/AbsoluteBeginners/Star_Charts.htm

http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/

http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/galtel.htm

http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/observations/sunspots.html

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Neptune_and_Pluto.html

http://www.universetoday.com/41889/who-invented-the-telescope/

http://www.universetoday.com/41889/who-invented-the-telescope/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/58647/Martin-Behaim

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/t/telescope.shtml

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html

Done. Thank you.Here’s a space bunny cartoon