Astro2110 – The Solar System

Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642-20 March 1727) was important to astronomy for a few reasons. He helped invent calculus, which helped define calculations for the movements of planets and different formulas, as well as being the first to discover the law of gravity. This was pretty important to astronomy, as it explains why planets orbit around each other, and why we stay attached to the Earth. He was also the first person to make a reflecting telescope, which created a much sharper image.

Here are a few events that happened during Issac Newton’s lifetime:

Bacon’s Rebellion was in 1676. It was one of the first attempts of rebellion by the American colonists, and it was comprised mostly of poor farmers. The rebellion was directed mostly towards the elite, and the Native Americans, both of whom were thought of as holding back the poor.

The First Jacobite Rebellion began in Scotland against Great Britain. They were started in order to put James VII of Scotland back on the throne after he was deposed by parliament during the Glorious Revolution. It was unsuccessful.

Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706. He was important because he was a founding father of the United States, as well as an avid inventor and scientist. He is most famous for his work with electricity, his role in the American Revolution, and being the ambassador to France.

It was very interesting to me personally to realize how recent Newton’s discoveries actually were. I tended to think of Newton living 400-500 years ago, or at least towards the beginning of the British colonial efforts in the United States, however, seeing that Newton lived during both Bacon’s Rebellion and the birth of Benjamin Franklin showed me that he was more recent than that and gave me a general timeline of his life. Since I am generally more familiar with American history than European history this gave me a better idea of when Newton lived, and how he fit into the scientific time period that he lived in.

Information on Newton

Information on Bacon’s Rebellion

Information on the First Jacobite Rebellion

Information on Benjamin Franklin

Issac Newton (December 25, 1642 – March 20, 1726)

Wikipedia

Newton’s theory of gravitation explained why celestial bodies orbited other objects and named the force of gravity as the force responsible for attracting masses. He made the connection that the gravitational force that grounds everything to Earth is the same force that keeps Earth in orbit around the Sun. His other laws of motion also allow calculations to be made from observations of celestial bodies. Newton also applied his theory of gravity to Kepler’s third law, allowing the orbital distance and period to be determined with regards to mass.

Newton was not the only scientist with a breakthrough during this time period. In 1665, Robert Hooke discovered the concept of cells by looking at cork under a microscope. His work was fundamental in cell theory.

Other fields also saw the breakthrough of revolutionary figures. George Handel wrote his first opera, Almira, Königin von Castilien, in 1705. He was a Baroque composer.

One very famous man who lived during Newton’s lifetime was Miguel de Cervantes (September 29, 1547 – April 22, 1616). He is famous for writing the first novel, Don Quixote, which was very successful. Not only was he a writer, he also fought against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

After reading about Newton’s contributions to astronomy and Hooke’s to biology, I realized that we take a lot of the scientific information that we know for granted. To students and aspiring scientists, cell theory and planetary orbits are important topics to know for tests and grades, but to Newton and Hooke, they were groundbreaking discoveries. They struggled with preexisting ideas and came up with new ideas to more accurately describe the natural world. In the present day, we learn these ideas as facts in a matter of minutes. The work of previous generations of scientists acts as the foundation for new research. It’s crazy to think that hundreds of years from now, the most relevant topics that scientists are researching – the Higgs Boson particle, the cure for cancer, more impressive technology – might serve as the building block for even more advanced science. In fact, the foundation for new research might eventually grow so large that it takes decades of schooling to become specialized in a particular field. The amount of scientific progress that humans have made since Newton’s time is immense, and there is no way to guess how much humankind will achieve in the next 300 years.

Sir Isaac Newton was an important figure in the history of astronomy because he came up with the theory of gravity.  By understanding the physics of gravity here on Earth, scientists now understand many of the laws that govern the rest of the Universe, and this can be helpful in making new astronomical breakthroughs and discoveries.

During Newton’s lifetime, some notable historic events occurred–the Peace of Westphalia and the discovery of cells.

In Europe in 1648, the Thirty Years War ended as a result of the Peace of Westphalia.  The Peace of Westphalia was a series of treaties that established, as the name implies, peace in Western Europe.  This was significant because it set up the new system of Europe that we still see today with independent countries that have sovereignty.

In 1663, the British scientist Robert Hooke discovered cells.  While examining a cork slice underneath a compound microscope, he observed what we now know as cell walls.  The word cell is also attributed to Hooke.  This was a major breakthrough in biology, and science in general, at the time.

One famous historical figure who lived during Newton’s lifetime was Oliver Cromwell.  Born in 1599 and died in 1658, Oliver Cromwell was the ruler of England in a period called the Interregnum.  Cromwell ruled England from 1653 to 1658 between the reign of Charles I and Charles II.  After Charles I was overthrown, military leader Cromwell came to power and had a profound influence over England.  He was seen as a liberal figure among the turmoil of England at the time.

Learning about these events that took place during Newton’s life really helped me place him in time.  Even though Oliver Cromwell probably did not have a direct influence on Newton himself, learning that Newton grew up during the Interregnum made me realize just how recent the discovery of gravity really is.  Additionally, learning that it occurred around the same time as the discovery of cells put things into perspective as well.  It is not often that you compare the timelines of two different disciplines of science, and I found it very interesting.

Isaac Newton (1/4/1643 – 3/31/1727)

Isaac Newton Bio

1)   During Newtons lifetime

1. In 1648, the treaty of Westphalia was signed. This treaty ended the thirty years war which took place in Germany.
2. In 1701, The UK of Great Britain was formed. This was when England, Scotland, and Wales all entered the Parliamentary Act of Union.                                                    History 

-

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was alive during Newton’s Lifetime. One of his largest achievements was being one of the founding fathers of the United States as well as being a very decelerated inventor.

B. Franklin Biography

This context was very interesting because it was a time full of invention, creation, and the foundation of America, as we know it. It is hard to believe how many extremely important American figures were alive at the same time.

Isaac Newton

Biography

Year of Birth: 1642

Year of Death: 1727

Historical Events Occurring During the Life of Isaac Newton

• Great Fire of London.  This five day fire during September of 1666 is one of the most famous disasters in the history of London.  During the fire, much of London was destroyed and 100,000 people became homeless.
• Invention of the Piano.  The actual date for the invention of the piano is unknown, but one appeared in 1709 in Florence.  Unlike the harpsichord, which plucked different strings to create the range of pitches, the piano has hammers that strike the strings, allowing pianists to vary the volume of a particular pitch.

Famous Historical Figure Who Lived During the Life of Isaac Newton

René Descartes

Famous for his statement “I think, therefore I am,” (Latin: cogito ergo sum) Descartes made a lasting mark on the world through mathematics.  His discoveries allow for the existence of analytic geometry, and the Cartesian plane is name after Descartes.  Descartes is also well known for his work in philosophy and metaphysics and his contributions continue to influence our world today.

Reflection

I remember one day in my high school physics class, my teacher brought in a book of the most influential people of history.  Topping the list was Muhammad, and numbers 3, 4, and 5 were Jesus, Buddha, and Confucius.  Isaac Newton came in at number 2.  The fact that Newton is the lone scientist in the top 5 (top 6, as the apostle Paul was #6) shows just how important Newton’s ideas were.  He tried to describe how the universe works—and to a large extent, succeeded.  Interestingly, we now know many of Newton’s ideas to be false.  For example, his theory of gravity fails to account for the gravitational attraction of photons, massless particles, to objects.  Newton’s work covers numerous fields of science and mathematics, and the contributions he made are extremely impressive, but it is also important to remember Newton did not accomplish this by himself.  Had it not been for the vital work of others like Kepler and Galileo, Newton might not have been able to achieve as much as he did.

As Newton once said, “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”