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From early man until today, we have been staring at the same stars, wondering about the heavens above. The ancients studied the moon & sun to learn when to sow their crops and when to harvest. We are still learning to this day.
1500 BC- Stonehenge was built outside of Salisbury, England. It was used to track the movement of the sun and mark the solstice. Only seven stones still stand today. This photo shows as it would have stood when it was built. |
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) The Italian physicist and astronomer first used a telescope from lenses he made himself, at the beginning of the 17th Century. The telescope was 30X. In 1609, he made a drawing of the moon for the world to see. Again, he stated that the Sun was the center of the universe, for this he was persecuted for going against the Church. The Inquisition forced him to repeal his discoveries in order avoid torture. He also discovered sun spots and Jupiter's 4 satellites. |
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) at the University of Cambridge, developed the laws of gravity. He coined the now famous term "and to every action there is always an equal and opposite or contrary, reaction." Newton also determined the moon's effect on the tides. He also discovered that the prism seperated light's component colours, which added to the study of stars through spectral analysis. |