Astronomy Timeline

By Anonymous5678
  • 1500 BCE

    Egyptian Star Map

    Egyptian Star Map
    Around 1500 BC, the first Egyptian star maps were created. These maps were important for the Egyptians, especially since they lived in an area that had few landmarks.
  • 1000 BCE

    Babylonians

    Babylonians
    Around 1000 BC, the Babylonians created the MUL.APIN, a list of stars classified into constellations.
  • 610 BCE

    Thales of Miletus

    Thales of Miletus
    Between the years of 624 BC and 545 BC, Thales of Miletus successfully predicted an eclipse, making him the first to ever do so.
  • 499 BCE

    Sumerian Lunisolar Calendar

    Sumerian Lunisolar Calendar
    The Sumerian lunisolar calendar is estimated to have been invented in 499 BC, when it was realized that 19 solar years equals 235 moon cycles.
  • 350 BCE

    Aristotle

    Aristotle
    In between the years 384 BC and 322 BC, Aristotle made his version of the geocentric model, proposing that the star and planets went in circular orbits around the Earth.
  • 350 BCE

    Heracleides of Pontus

    Heracleides of Pontus
    Between the years 390 BC and 322 BC, Heracleides of Pontus proposed the idea that the Earth made a daily rotation, while still clinging to ideas of the geocentric model.
  • 280 BCE

    Aristarchus of Samos

    Aristarchus of Samos
    Between the years of 310 BC and 230 BC, Aristarchus of Samos created the first known heliocentric model. Although nobody accepted it around his time, it inspired later astronomers.
  • 224 BCE

    Armillary Sphere

    Armillary Sphere
    The first armillary sphere was invented in 225 BC. This device was used to track the movements of celestial bodies such as stars. It is thought to have been invented by Eratosthenes, still other sources do credit other people at different times.
  • 200 BCE

    Eratosthenes

    Eratosthenes
    Between the years 276 BC and 192 BC, Eratosthenes used geometry to measure the circumference of the earth. This is one of the many reasons why he is called the Father of Geography.
  • 117

    Water Powered Armillary Sphere

    Water Powered Armillary Sphere
    In the year of 117 AD, Zhang Heng created the first water powered armillary sphere.
  • 130

    Claudius Ptolemy

    Claudius Ptolemy
    Between the years 100 AD and 170 AD, Claudius Ptolemy predicted the movements of the stars despite the fact of his use of an incorrect theory of the universe.
  • 150

    The Almagest

    The Almagest
    Around the year 150 AD, Ptolemy published the Almagest, a book filled with his predictions of the stars.
  • 964

    Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi

    Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi
    Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi publishes the Book of Fixed Stars, an expansion of Ptolemy's Almagest.
  • 1542

    Copernicus

    Copernicus
    In 1543, Copernicus published his treatise De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, changing the world of astronomy.
  • 1572

    Tycho Brahe

    Tycho Brahe
    In the year of 1572, Tycho Brahe observed a supernova, proving that the celestial bodies do change, disproving the Aristotelian theory of unchanging heavens.

  • Galileo Creates his Galilean Telescope

    Galileo Creates his Galilean Telescope
    In the year of 1609, Galileo created his telescope that could enlarge objects up to eight times their original size.

  • Johannes Kepler

    Johannes Kepler
    In the year of 1609, Johannes Kepler published his findings on the orbit of Mars and his first two laws.

  • Galileo Galilei Discovers Jupiter's Moons

    Galileo Galilei Discovers Jupiter's Moons
    In the year of 1610, Galileo discovered the moons orbiting Jupiter.

  • Johannes Kepler Discovers his Third Law

    Johannes Kepler Discovers his Third Law
    In the year of 1618, Johannes Kepler discovered his third law, the law of harmonies.

  • Issac Newton

    Issac Newton
    In the year of 1687, Issac Newton published his "Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis." This work contained many of his greatest discoveries, including his laws of gravity.