Main Hits in the Discovery of the Universe

By pablolievano
  • Early People Track Moon Phases
    32,500 BCE

    Early People Track Moon Phases

    During Upper Paleolithic period early people keep track of the Moon‘s phases by engraving lines onto animal bones.
  • Period: 32,500 BCE to

    Recorded History

  • Humans begin interpreting Astronomy
    10,000 BCE

    Humans begin interpreting Astronomy

    Humans begin studying astronomy and mix it with religion, believing gods resided in the sky. Also tracked seasons for agricultural reasons, and for measuring time and direction.
  • Gosek Circle is created
    4900 BCE

    Gosek Circle is created

    The Gosek Circle is one of the earliest sun observatories found in history, and it allowed early peoples to track the sun's path during a solar year.
  • Mesopotamians Identify and Create Constellations
    3000 BCE

    Mesopotamians Identify and Create Constellations

    Constellations such as Sagittarius, Capricorn, Gemini, Taurus, Leo and Scorpius found by Mesopotamians. Earliest atronomical records were kept my the Mesopotamian Sumerians and Babylonians, who recorded the position of planets as early as 1600BC.
  • Stonehenge is Created
    2500 BCE

    Stonehenge is Created

    Prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Created for worship and is aligned to mark summer and winter solstices (Longest and shortest day)
  • Chinese record earliest known Solar Eclipse
    2137 BCE

    Chinese record earliest known Solar Eclipse

    Recorded in Chinese Books
  • First Egyptian Sundials
    1450 BCE

    First Egyptian Sundials

    Ancient Egyptians begin to track time using Sundials
  • First Heliocentric Concept Proposed
    800 BCE

    First Heliocentric Concept Proposed

    Indian Astronomer Yajnavalkya proposes that Earth and Sun are Spherical and the Sun is at the centre of the spheres (Planets).
  • Greeks Develop Astronomy from Observational to Theoretical Science
    600 BCE

    Greeks Develop Astronomy from Observational to Theoretical Science

    Greek astronomers like Pythagoras, Aristotle, Plato and Thales propose a Geocentric model of sun circling the Earth rather than the Opposite.
  • Stars first proposed
    450 BCE

    Stars first proposed

    Anaxagoras suggests stars are suns such as our sun but further away. Met with disapproval and exiled from city of Athens.
  • Second Heliocentric Concept Proposed
    280 BCE

    Second Heliocentric Concept Proposed

    Aristrachus of Samos suggests another Heliocentric theory that states that all planets revolved around a stationary sun. Theory was unpopular and didn't resurge until 1800 years after.
  • Antikythera mechanism created
    150 BCE

    Antikythera mechanism created

    Ancient astronomical computer from Ancient Greece capable of predicting star and planet positions along with eclipses.
  • Geocentric model further refined
    150

    Geocentric model further refined

    Ptolemy refines the original Geocentric model, listing 48 constellations and charted motions of planets and stars.
  • Copernicus Publishes "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"
    1543

    Copernicus Publishes "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"

    Copernicus revives Aristrachus' Heliocentric view of the universe with empirical evidence to back said theory.
  • Elliptical Orbit discovered

    Elliptical Orbit discovered

    Johannes Kepler discovers planets orbit in an elliptical motion as opposed to a circular motion, and he proposes his three laws of planetary motion.
  • First Refractor Telescope

    First Refractor Telescope

    Hans Lippershey creates the first refractor telescope
  • Galileo's Observations

    Galileo's Observations

    Galileo discovers Jupiter's moons, and proposes another Heliocentric Model. Is tried by the church for heresy and forced to recant and is condemned to life house arrest in 1632.
  • Newton's Discoveries

    Newton's Discoveries

    Newton creates first reflecting telescope with curved mirror that allows to further see in space. Also Publishes "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" where he agrees with Kepler's laws and the Heliocentric model. Finally, he discovers the laws of gravity.
  • Messier Discovers several Galaxies, Nebulas and Clusters

    Messier Discovers several Galaxies, Nebulas and Clusters

    Charles Messier discovers and catalogs several Galaxies, Nebulas and Star Clusters
  • Laplace Proposes the Concept of Black Holes

    Laplace Proposes the Concept of Black Holes

    Pierre-Simon Laplace proposes Black Holes for the first time.
  • Einstein's special theory of relativity

    Einstein's special theory of relativity

    Albert Einstein introduces his Special Theory of Relativity and then 11 years later proposes his General Theory of Relativity
  • Hubble proves existence of Separate Galaxies

    Hubble proves existence of Separate Galaxies

    Edwin Hubble proves there are other galaxies, and that the universe is expanding using the Mount Wilson Observatory's 60 inch reflector telescope.
  • First Radio Telescope

    First Radio Telescope

    Grote Reber builds the first Radio Telescope in the United States.
  • Russia Launches Sputnik I

    Russia Launches Sputnik I

    Russia launches the first Man-made object to orbit space.
  • First Men on the Moon

    First Men on the Moon

    Neil Armstrong and Buzz Alrdin walk on the moon as part of Apollo 11.
  • Voyager 1 Explores outer Solar System

    Voyager 1 Explores outer Solar System

    First Manmade object to leave the inner Solar System
  • Hubble Space Telescope launches

    Hubble Space Telescope launches

    Hubble Space Telescope put into orbit by Discovery shuttle. Telescope still works to this day taking extremely sharp images of outer space.