Scientists

Eratosthenes

500 BCE

In 500 BC Eratosthenes discovered that the earth was round. He also discovered a clever way to calculate the circumference. He is also famous for discovering longitude and latitiude. This is important because it was a major stepping stone in understanding our world.

Claudius Ptolemy

127

127 AD Claudius Ptolemy made his first star observation. He also made a world map utilizing longitude and latitude, as well as his compilations of star catalogs. He made major improvements in the science of astronomy.

Nicolaus Copernicus

May 24, 1543

Sometime between 1508 and 1514, Nicolaus Copernicus discovered that the universe is heliocentric. This means that our solar system centers around the sun. This is important because it shaped the way we understand our solar system.

Tycho Brahe

Nov 11, 1572

Tycho Brahe discovered the "new star" in 1572 and this was important because it showed that it was farther away from the moon than previously thought, and was among other fixed stars that were considered perfect and unchanging.

Johannes Kepler

1609

Johannes Kepler discovered the laws of planetary motion in 1609. This is important because before this it was not known that the orbital path of planets was an ellipse. It further helped us understand space.

Sir Isaac Newton

1687

Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity in 1687. He also made many other discoveries including the laws of motion, and calculus. Sir Isaac Newton changed the way we view the universe and was a key factor in the scientific revolution.

Albert Einstein

Jan 1, 1905

In 1905 Albert Einstein discovered the Theory of Relativity. This is important because it explains why objects in space act as they do, and it can be used to predict a massive amount of phenomenons in space.