Historical Astronomers in Context

Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571- November 15, 1630), summarized his discoveries with three physical principles. First, the planets move in elliptical orbits, but not perfect circles, with the Sun at one focus. Second, he argued that the time necessary to traverse any arc of a planetary orbit is proportional to the area of the sector between the central body and that arc. Third, there is an exact relationship between the squares of the planets’ periodic times and the cubes of the radii of their orbits. These principles, later became laws, improved Copernicus’s solar system and helped to explain some astronomical phenomena.

When Kepler was alive, France’s King Henry IV converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. Henry IV of France, a progressive king who is religiously tolerant, is assassinated by François Ravaillac, who is unbalanced and highly religious.Also, Sweden joined the Thirty Year’s War. The Swedes invade northern Germany and won multiple bateles and finally had decisive victory. Elizabeth I (September 7 1533 – March 24 1603), was also alive at the same time as Kepler, was undisputedly one of the greatest monarchs of England who ruled the country from 1558 to 1603. Popularly known as the Virgin Queen, her 45 years of reign marked a glorious epoch in English history.

It is obvious to notice that scientists were slowed down by limited technology. It took decades and generations for people to develop technology and to discover the universe with limited technology. Also because of this slow process, the world did not improve much and the big events that were happening were mostly wars. It is glad to see that later scientist solidified Kepler’s three laws and facilitated the learning of the universe at that time.

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Historical Astronomers in Context – Nicholas Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus was important to astronomy because his heliocentric theory. At that time, people believed that Earth is the center of the universe and all the other astro bodies were revolving around Earth. The appearance of the heliocentric theory from Nicholas Copernicus helped people correct their false assumption, which hugely helped scientists at that time to understand the universe better. 

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Nicholas Copernicus – pic source

Major Historical Event at that Time

  1. Christopher Columbus discovered a new continent – America in 1492
  2. King Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile in 1479. The Aragon and the Castile combined together to form a new nation – Spain

Major Historical Figure at the Time

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known by his first name Michelangelo, is one of the most famous sculptor in the world. His work David is considered as the most balanced and beautiful men sculptor in the world. 

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Michelangelo – pic source
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David – pic source

Brief Reflection

I think it is interesting as learning this context, I can understand how people thought in the past and how understood the planet and world they lived step by step. To some extent the process people understand the world is like the growth process of a child. When I was child, I also once believed that the earth is the center of the world and no matter the sun or the moon were revolving around the earth. And when I grew older, I gradually understood that the earth is only a normal planet among the numerous planets and stars. Therefore, I think this context is pretty interesting.

 

 

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Historical Figures in Context

Historical Figures in Astronomy 

a)

Birth: February 19, 1473

Death: May 21, 1543

Birth: December 27, 1571

Death: November 15, 1630

Birth: December 14, 1546

Death: October 24, 1601

Birth: February 15, 1564

Death: January 8, 1642

Birth: January 4, 1643

Death: March 31, 1727

b) Kepler, Brahe, and Galileo all lived around the same time. Kepler and Brahe lived at the same time for about 30 years. Kepler and Galileo lived for about 71 years at the same time. Galileo and Brahe lived for about 37 at the same time.

2) Nicholas Copernicus was important because he challenged the existing views of astronomy, that originally said the Earth was the center of the Universe. Copernicus discovered that actually, the Sun is the center of the universe and the planets revolve around the Sun. This is further explained as the heliocentric theory.

3a)

  • In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established by Catholic Monarchs and was set up in order to punish and also convert any Jews or Muslims to Christianity.
  • In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail to find a western sea route to China, India and Asia.

b) Leonardo da Vinci is the best known Renaissance artist, that is most famous for The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

4) This was interesting to me because sometimes people can be so caught up in one event that they dont realize there are so many other things happening in other parts of the country. But it also proves that some events can spark others, just like how during this time was a big push of discoveries in astronomy, it also was for other things such as art.

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Newton: the Father of Modern Physics and Astronomy

Sir Isaac Newton lived from January 4, 1643 to March 31, 1727. He is commonly hailed as the father of classical mechanics and one of the most influential scientists and mathematicians of all time. Beyond developing calculus, which serves as the infrastructure for modern astronomy, he discovered the fundamental laws that govern bodies of terrestrial and astronomical scales. This include the law of universal gravitation, the laws of motion, and the behavior of light. In the mid 17th century there was an outbreak of the plague in Europe. This contributed to Newton’s reclusive and antisocial nature. Newton’s behavior made him notoriously difficult to work with, leading to many notable feuds with fellow scientists and mathematicians, including physicist Robert Hooke. In 1703, Hooke died. As Newton’s long time rival, Hooke had discovered many principals, such as the inverse square law, that laid the foundation for future astronomers. During this time period, King Charles II rose to power following the beheading of Charles II, restoring the English monarchy.

Through studying the historical context of Newton’s life, I have discovered an insight into the nature of science. Regardless of the politics or misfortunes of the world, science will always progress. Even when suppressed by religious groups, progress is always made, and our understanding of the universe around us will always grow.

 

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Newton: the Father of Modern Physics and Astronomy

Sir Isaac Newton lived from January 4, 1643 to March 31, 1727. He is commonly hailed as the father of classical mechanics and one of the most influential scientists and mathematicians of all time. Beyond developing calculus, which serves as the infrastructure for modern astronomy, he discovered the fundamental laws that govern bodies of terrestrial and astronomical scales. This include the law of universal gravitation, the laws of motion, and the behavior of light. In the mid 17th century there was an outbreak of the plague in Europe. This contributed to Newton’s reclusive and antisocial nature. Newton’s behavior made him notoriously difficult to work with, leading to many notable feuds with fellow scientists and mathematicians, including physicist Robert Hooke. In 1703, Hooke died. As Newton’s long time rival, Hooke had discovered many principals, such as the inverse square law, that laid the foundation for future astronomers. During this time period, King Charles II rose to power following the beheading of Charles II, restoring the English monarchy.

Through studying the historical context of Newton’s life, I have discovered an insight into the nature of science. Regardless of the politics or misfortunes of the world, science will always progress. Even when suppressed by religious groups, progress is always made, and our understanding of the universe around us will always grow.

 

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (December 14th, 1546 – October 24th, 1601)

Tycho Brahe was known as the last great “naked-eye” astronomer. He did all of his research without the aid of telescopes and was still able to be more precise than any of his predecessors. Much of his work revolved around studying the moon and other objects within our solar system. Along with improving on existing astronomical measurements, Brahe put forth a theory stating that the Sun and the Moon both revolved around the Earth while the rest of the planets orbited the sun. Much of his work was pasted on to his assistant, Johannes Kepler, who used Brahe’s measurements to prove many of his famous discoveries. More info here

Historical events during Brahe’s life

    1. October 1582: The Gregorian calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. This new calendar was introduced so that certain holidays (namely Easter) would always occur at the same time of year. Over time, this calendar would become the most commonly used calendar across the globe. More info here
    2. 1585: The English colony of Roanoke was established in the New World. Although the colony would eventually fail, being found abandoned in 1590, it represented the first British colony founded in America. This represented a new era of British expansion as many new colonies would come in the years following the Roanoke expedition. More info here

Another famous figure alive during this time

Ivan Vasilyevich (August 25th, 1530 – March 28th, 1584)

Ivan Vasilyevich- better known as Ivan the Terrible- was crowned the first Tsar of Russia in 1547. Under his reign, Russia would conquer numerous smaller nations and transform into a multicultural empire spanning two different continents. More info here

 

Reflection

After looking into this time period more, I realized just how much change was coming about in the late 1500s. Not only were the major western powers beginning to move into the Americas, but western Europe and Asia were changing as well. Alongside these massive political changes were large-scale changes in the arts and science as well. Brahe and Kepler were working in Denmark, Galileo was working in Italy, and a playwright in England named William Shakespeare was gaining traction with his writing prowess. Whenever I had studied these people and events before, they always seemed very isolated and dispersed. Now that I have realized that they all happened in the same 50 or so years, I have begun to realize how connected these events truly were.

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (December 14th, 1546 – October 24th, 1601)

Tycho Brahe was known as the last great “naked-eye” astronomer. He did all of his research without the aid of telescopes and was still able to be more precise than any of his predecessors. Much of his work revolved around studying the moon and other objects within our solar system. Along with improving on existing astronomical measurements, Brahe put forth a theory stating that the Sun and the Moon both revolved around the Earth while the rest of the planets orbited the sun. Much of his work was pasted on to his assistant, Johannes Kepler, who used Brahe’s measurements to prove many of his famous discoveries. More info here

Historical events during Brahe’s life

    1. October 1582: The Gregorian calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. This new calendar was introduced so that certain holidays (namely Easter) would always occur at the same time of year. Over time, this calendar would become the most commonly used calendar across the globe. More info here
    2. 1585: The English colony of Roanoke was established in the New World. Although the colony would eventually fail, being found abandoned in 1590, it represented the first British colony founded in America. This represented a new era of British expansion as many new colonies would come in the years following the Roanoke expedition. More info here

Another famous figure alive during this time

Ivan Vasilyevich (August 25th, 1530 – March 28th, 1584)

Ivan Vasilyevich- better known as Ivan the Terrible- was crowned the first Tsar of Russia in 1547. Under his reign, Russia would conquer numerous smaller nations and transform into a multicultural empire spanning two different continents. More info here

 

Reflection

After looking into this time period more, I realized just how much change was coming about in the late 1500s. Not only were the major western powers beginning to move into the Americas, but western Europe and Asia were changing as well. Alongside these massive political changes were large-scale changes in the arts and science as well. Brahe and Kepler were working in Denmark, Galileo was working in Italy, and a playwright in England named William Shakespeare was gaining traction with his writing prowess. Whenever I had studied these people and events before, they always seemed very isolated and dispersed. Now that I have realized that they all happened in the same 50 or so years, I have begun to realize how connected these events truly were.

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a German mathematician and astronomer who established the laws of planetary motion. He worked as Tycho Brahe’s apprentice. Although the two had a strained relationship, Kepler’s ability to find mathematical relationships among data proved the perfect complement to Brahe’s unparalleled observation skills. Through his work with Brahe’s observations, Kepler founded the laws of planetary motion—most importantly, he discovered that planetary orbit is elliptical.

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Researching the context of late sixteenth and early seventeenth century was very helpful in understanding the astronomer’s places in history. That the conflict between Catholics and Protestants was intensely underway and European colonialism spreading across the world at this same time helps me understand when in history these astronomical discoveries took place.

The Anglo-Spanish was conflict between the kingdoms of Spain and England that spanned from 1585 to 1604. War was never formally declared, and characterized by widely separated battles between the Spanish and English Armadas. In 1607, Jamestown, Virginia was settled as what would become the first permanent English colony in the New World. By historical records, this is “where the British Empire began” (written by William Kelso).

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was a French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist who founded the Cartesian coordinate system. He is also considered the father of modern western philosophy, as well as the father of analytical geometry, the bridge between algebra and geometry.

 

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643 and died on March 31, 1727.

Isaac Newton is best known for his work on gravity. More specifically, he founded Newton’s Law of Gravitation. This formula states that the force of gravity between two objects is dependent on the massiveness of the two objects and the distance between them squared. In addition, he stated the three laws of motion. The Law of Inertia can be applied to space because there are no external forces in a near perfect vacuum, so things always launched at a certain speed will stay at that speed forever unless acted upon by an external force. But in terms of astronomy, his most important discovery (in my opinion) was the Law of Gravitation.

On January 30, 1649, King Charles I of England is beheaded for treason. This was hugely important, as the monarchy went down, and a new English Commonwealth was established. There were many reasons for his beheading. First off, he married a Catholic French Princess, which did not sit well with his Protestant subjects. Additionally, throughout his reign, he never had a solid relationship with Parliament and during his 24 year rule, he dissolved Parliament many times. Eventually this led to the First English Civil War.

From 1701 to 1714, The War of the Spanish Succession raged on. This was caused by Charles II having no children to pass on his massive empire to. Charles II had died in 1685, long before the war started. Charles II had left in his will to leave his entire kingdom behind to Louis’ grandson, Philip of Anjou. This led to a breakout and a 13 year war. After the war, Austria firmly planted itself as a serious power.

Johann Sebastian Bach lived from March 31, 1685 to July 28, 1750. Bach was the greatest musician and composer of all time, many would say. Bach changed forever the style of music, as he mastered the Baroque style of music. “Furthermore, this was the time of the Age of Science; the culture therefore was a conflicted combination of both extravagance and calculation. The style of music reflected both of these dualisms” (link to quote)

There was a lot of political turmoil in Europe at the time, and this was a time when many new discoveries were being made. Nothing was stable in the monarchy or other countries’ monarchies. There were multiple wars that spanned this time period of these famous astronomers, yet they were able to complete their work, which I find amazing. I also really enjoyed reading some of Bach’s history. The quote above stated his work incorporated the Age of Science. I don’t quite understand music to really know what that means, but the fact he was able to comply with the times makes me wonder if he ever had any connection with the famous astronomers of the 1600s when he lived.

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Galileo is the astronomer most responsible for toppling the geocentric theory of the universe with his scientific observations. Galileo used a telescope to prove that there were visible sunspots on the sun and craters on the moon, arguing that if these surfaces were imperfect then their orbits could be as well. He also discovered that the stars that his predecessor Tycho had observed were much further away from the Earth than Tycho had realized, so there must be a stellar parallax. In addition, he saw four moons orbiting Jupiter, clearly demonstrating the possibility of planets such as Earth orbiting something and having moons orbit around them at the same time. It was Galileo who finally put the nail in the coffin on the idea that the Earth is not like other planets, in that the old heliocentric theory supported by Aristotelian knowledge put all planets and other celestial objects orbiting in eternal perfect circles around the Earth, just as the heavens so desired. He had used his telescope to undermine the perfection of the heavens as seen through the Aristotelian cosmos, and the Church would have to dig in. Galileo’s Life & Discoveries.

In 1607, about 100 Englishmen settled in a marshy swamp in modern-day Virginia, and they called their settlement Jamestown. The Virginia Company struggled with the climate, famine, and fighting with native tribes, but the discovery of tobacco as a profitable cash crop saved this Virginia settlement

In 1582, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the calendar system which today is the most internationally used one. Pope Gregory XIII presented this metric, which was an improvement of the previously used Julian calendar, changing the mean calendar year from 365.25 days to 365.2425 days.

William Shakespeare was born the same year as Galileo, on April 23 1564. Shakespeare is the undisputed greatest writer in the history of the English language.  He wrote an extensive amount of plays which continue to be read and taught centuries later, including Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  and Julius Caesar, just to name a few. Shakespeare is commonly referred to in literary realms as having written the style of drama which most entertainment even today seeks to emulate. 4 centuries later, he still sits on the throne.

This helped me realize that singular events are capable of drastically altering the course of history if they are given enough attention. It also showed me that while some events,  can make headlines and literally change the planet, the world keeps on spinning and people continue going about the many aspects of their lives. Also, we see how many great movers and shakers of the world can be alive at the same time!

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