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220 BCE
Erathosthenes
He invented the system of longitude and latitude. This discovery is important to help all types of transportation navigate safely. Every point on the globe can be determined by longitude and latitude. -
127 BCE
Claudius Ptolemy
He the planets did move in rings or orbits. However, he thought that the moon, sun, and other planets circled around the Earth. This was an early discovery in the realization that planets to move in circular paths which later led to the understanding that our sun is the center of our solar system, not the Earth. -
1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
He was the father of The Heliocentric Theory realizing that the Earth and other planets revolve around our sun. This is an important discovery because this is how we explain our years and seasons. -
Nov 11, 1572
Tycho Brahe
He discovered a bright supernova in the sky that ended up being named the Tycho Supernova and Kepler was his student. He also realized that the moons orbit was elliptical. While he personally believed the Earth was the center of our universe, it opened doors for other scientists to realize the sun was the center of our solar system. -
Johannes Kepler
He is most know for his three laws of planetary motion. He also created the Keplerian telescope. This was an important discovery because it was able to view objects in the sky at great distances that could be studied more easily. -
Sir Isaac Newton
Newton discovered the universal law of gravitation. This discovery is important because it explains the movement of objects by an invisible force. -
Albert Einstein
He discovered the theory of relativity. This is important because this taught us about space, matter, time, energy, and gravity.