GALILEO GALILEI

Father of modern observational astronomy

BIG BANG THEORY Born 1564

Pisa, Italy
Died 1642
Florence, Italy
Contribution:

TIMELINE Built advance telescope and used it to

observe moon orbiting Jupiter, which
contradicted Ptolemaic theory, then
published it, The Starry Messenger, in 1610.
*In 1597 inspired by Johannes Kepler’s book about Copernicus view.
By: Agung *In 1632 published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.
*In 1637 published Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations.

CLAUDIUS PTOLOMY
Astronomer, mathematician, geographer, astrologer SIR ISAAC NEWTON
Born 85 CE Died 165 CE Physics, gravity, and law of motion
Egypt Egypt Born 1643 Died 1727
Lincolnshire, England London, England
Contribution:
Geocentric view: the Sun and the planets Contribution:
revolve around spherical Earth Developed the three basic laws of motion
and the theory of universal gravity, which
*inspired by Aristotle’s idea and rejected the unproven hypothesis of
together laid the foundation for our current
Aristarchus of Samos about Earth revolves around the Sun (350 years
before Ptolemy was born). understanding of physics and the Universe
*useful to predict eclipses and the positions of planets. *inspired by apple falling from the tree.
*In 1687 published Mathematical Principlesof Natural Philosophy that
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS asserted the three Laws of Motion, elaborated Johannes Kepler’s Laws of
Motion, and stated the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Astronomer, renaissance men *In 1704 published Opticks.
Born 1473 Died 1543
Torun, Poland Frombork, Poland HENRIETTA LEAVITT
Contribution: Astronomic, measuring distance in the universe
Synthesized observational data to Born 1868 Died 1921
formulate a comprehensive, Sun-centered Lancaster, Massachusetts Cambridge, Massachusetts
cosmology, launching modern astronomy Contribution:
and setting off a scientific revolution Discovered the relationship between the
*inspired by questioning Aristotle’s and Ptolomy’s views of universe. intrinsic brightness of a variable star and
*in 1514 circulated his Little Commentary, introducing his heliocentric model,
about Earth both revolved on its axis and orbited around the Sun.
the time it took to vary in brightness,
*In 1532 completed On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres but not making it possible for others to estimate
published it yet. the distance of these faraway stars,
*In 1541 agreed to publication his detailed astronomical manuscript, conclude that additional galaxies exist, and
supported by a mathematician friend, Georg Rheticus.
begin mapping the Universe.
*inspired by comparing thousands of photographic plates at her work.