The History of Astronomy

In show 4 we are treated to some very interesting
facts about how Astronomy has evolved.

The Greeks started modern Astronomy through
actual scientific observation and mathematic
models.  Of course the Greeks thought that the
Earth was the center of our solar system.  
They were wrong!

One of these old Greeks ,Hipparchus, came up with
the MAGNITUDE of brightness for celstial bodies.
Then agan, his scale of brightness is backwards.
(And he wasn't even polish)

Still the Greeks gave us the concept of
celstial spheres and ecliptics, planetray motion
and aristotle got involved with this stuff.

All these old Greek cats held a GEOCENTRIC view of
the solar system.  That is, the Earth is at the 
center.

Then one Greek, just to be different, came up with
the idea that the Earth goes around the Sun.
this is the HELIOCENTRIC view.  And they allowed him
to live.

Copernicus, a polish person, furthered the 
heliocentric view.  He showed through math that 
the Earth goes around the Sun and he could thus 
explain the RETROGRADE (backward movement) of Mars.

Then came Galileo and his telescope.
One thing he found out is that if you
look at the Sun with a telescope you go blind.  And 
he did.  Still he espoused the heliocentric view and 
almost got burned at the stake by the Catholic 
church--in the name of Christian Love.

Then came this guy with a silver nose named Tycho.
He used metal gauges rather than a telescope and
made some pretty good observations.  
He hired a math major named Kepler who proved 
tycho's work and published it when Tycho died 
of an inflated bladdr which happened
at the king's tail hook party..don't ask.

In summary, we have moved from the GEOCENTRIC view
to the HELIOCENTRIC view as a result of mathematics
fitting retrograde conditions better.

And that's how we got a man on the moon.







Email:  profborkowski@yahoo.com