Understanding our Universe
The universe has always amazed people. Over time, our understanding of stars and galaxies has changed a lot.
- Stars
What we know about stars has changed over thousands of years. Early astronomers recorded the positions and numbers of stars. They did not think that stars could change. The first catalogue of stars was made by Chinese astronomers Gan De and Shi Shenfu around 400 BCE. Astronomers soon realised that 'new stars' could appear in the sky. We know these now as supernovae. The final explosion of a massive star's life.
Understanding the Solar System
After the invention of the telescope, everything changed for astronomers. They were now able to see many more objects in the night sky. These faint objects were either small, or far away, or both!
In 1781, William Herschel became the first person in thousands of years to discover a planet. He used a telescope he had built himself and found the 7th planet, Uranus. A few years' later in 1845, Neptune was found by both British and French astronomers. Both groups had watched the orbit of Uranus and used their data to predict there was an 8th planet. They worked out where it would be and when they looked, there it was!
Light and Telescopes
One of the first people to study light was Ibn al-Haytham (known as Alhazen). He was a Muslim, living in Egypt in the early 11th Century. Alhazen is first person we know of who used the scientific method. He wanted to know why our eyes could see things.
Hans Lipperhey (also spelt Lippershey) was the first person to write down a design for a telescope. He made spectacles for a living, and in 1608 he applied for a patent for his new tool. He said it was "for seeing things far away as if they were nearby". Hans did not get the patent because other people were making similar tools. But, Hans was paid for his design. The first telescopes, known as Dutch Telescopes, contained both a convex and a concave lens.
Sophia Brahe
Occupation
Astronomer, Writer
Year born
1556
Research Areas
Astronomy, Genealogy
- Early Life
Sophia was born in Knudsturp, Denmark, in 1556. She was the youngest of 10 children. Her oldest brother was the famous astronomer, Tycho Brahe.
Tycho and Sophia were part of a noble Danish family. Their family did not approve of Tycho and Sophia's interest in science. That was not the sort of thing noble people did! Tycho's parents thought he should study law or politics. However, Tycho decided to study astronomy instead.
Ancient Astronomy
Our ideas about the Solar System and space have changed over time. People have looked to the skies for thousands of years. They have looked at the movement of the stars and the changes of the Sun and Moon.
The ancient Greeks also did a lot of work in astronomy and maths. Eratosthenes first worked out the distance around the Earth (it's circumference) in 240 BCE. You can try out his experiment yourself on the summer solstice! Hipparchus was the first person to record the wobble of the Earth as it spins on its axis. We call this wobble precession. He was also the first to measure the distance to the Moon.
Stars and Stories
Have you ever looked at the stars at night and seen pictures in them? The imaginary pictures in the stars are called constellations.
Timeline of Astronomy
Did you know that our understanding of science and space had gradually been built over thousands of years? Discover the people from the past whose observations and experiments helped us understand our Solar System and the
Astronomical Influencers Quiz
Test your astronomy knowledge while learning about the who's who of ancient to present day astronomy!