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240 BCE
Eratosthenes:
Discovery: Calculated the circumference of the Earth by measuring the angle of the sun's rays at different locations on the same day
Year: c. 240 BCE
Reason: His measurement of the Earth's size was a significant achievement in ancient astronomy and geography and helped pave the way for future discoveries -
150 BCE
Claudius Ptolemy:
Discovery: Developed the geocentric model of the solar system, which placed the Earth at the center and the planets and the sun orbiting around it
Year: c. 150 CE
Reason: His model was widely accepted for over a thousand years and provided a framework for studying the motions of objects in the sky, but it was eventually replaced by the heliocentric model of Copernicus. -
Jan 1, 1543
Nicolaus Copernicus:
Discovery: Proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, with the sun at the center and the planets orbiting around it
Year: 1543
Reason: His model challenged the prevailing geocentric model and paved the way for the scientific revolution and the development of modern astronomy -
Jan 1, 1572
Tycho Brahe:
Discovery: Observed and recorded the positions of over 1,000 stars and discovered a supernova in 1572
Year: 1572
Reason: His accurate and detailed observations of the positions of stars and planets paved the way for Johannes Kepler's laws of planetary motion -
Johannes Kepler:
Discovery: Developed three laws of planetary motion based on the accurate observations of Tycho Brahe
Year: 1609-1619
Reason: His laws accurately described the motions of planets in the solar system and helped establish the foundation of modern astronomy -
Sir Isaac Newton:
Discovery: Developed the laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, which explain the motions of objects in the solar system
Year: 1687
Reason: His laws provided a comprehensive and mathematically precise explanation for the motion of objects in the universe and are still used today in modern physics and astronomy -
Albert Einstein:
Discovery: Developed the theory of general relativity, which explains gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects
Year: 1915
Reason: His theory revolutionized our understanding of gravity and led to new discoveries in astrophysics, such as black holes and gravitational waves