5.8 Astronomer's Timeline

  • 220 BCE

    Eratosthenes

    Eratosthenes
    He created the system of longitude and latitude, which was the first global grid. It still allows us to figure out exact positions and points on Earth.
  • 150

    Claudius Ptolemy

    Claudius Ptolemy
    Ptolemy created the famous geocentric theory, stating that the Earth was at the center of the universe. Although this has been disproven, it still contains significant importance for allowing astronomers to calculate the positions of planets, and other space objects.
  • 1543

    Nicolaus Copernicus

    Nicolaus Copernicus
    He created the heliocentric system. This states that our Sun is at the center of our solar system, while all the planets rotate around it. It's important because it changed our understanding of our solar system, and we still use this system today!
  • Tycho Brahe

    Tycho Brahe
    Tycho Brahe discovered the comet C/1590 E1, proving that comets exist outside of our atmosphere.
  • Johannes Kepler

    Johannes Kepler
    Kepler is widely known for his 3 laws of planetary motion. What's the significance of this? His laws signified a major turning point in the transition from geocentrism to heliocentrism, and they helped to predict orbits of various objects in space (ex- comets).
  • Sir Isaac Newton

    Sir Isaac Newton
    Isaac created the 3 laws of motion, their importance being that they're considered to be the basic principles of modern-day physics. He came up with these laws in 1666, but presented them in 1687.
  • Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein
    Einstein created the quantum theory of light. This is significant to us since it displays how light acts as a particle, which allowed us humans to create important inventions later on, such as the TV.
  • Einstein

    Einstein
    Einstein also created the theory of relativity, which consists of both special and general relativity. These theories are highly important because they redefined our understanding of space, time, and gravity, as well as ways we are able to predict their behaviors.