AH - Astronomers' History OVERVIEW

Astronomers' History

Introduction

 Welcome to the GaVS Space Program Astronaut Training! You have an enormous amount of information to learn in order to be able to understand space and one day complete a mission! You will even have simulations to go through to help you achieve your astronaut training. Your interest in space is what drew you to our program.
You look up into the night sky and see stars, constellations, even planets at times and you wonder, "how do we know these things"? Scientists, astronomers, and many others in ancient history have helped shape what we know about our universe today. Entering your journey to becoming an astronaut starts with knowing and understanding the discoveries of the ones that came before you.

Essential Questions

  • What impact did ancient civilizations and philosophies have on our current understanding of the universe?
  • How does Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation apply to astronomy?
  • How do the three Laws of Planetary Motion help explain how celestial bodies orbit in space?
  • What role do constellations play in our understanding of the universe?

Key Terms

Astrology - the study of the movements and relative positions of the planets, sun, and moon, and interpreted as having effects on human behavior

Astronomical Unit - the mean distance between the Earth and the Sun

Astronomy - the study of the physical and chemical properties of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere

Aphelion - the point in the orbit of a planet or comet when it is the farthest from the Sun

Cosmology - the branch of astronomy dealing with the origin and evolution of the universe and its structures and space-time relationships

Epicycle - a circle in which a planet moves which has a center that moves around at the same time on the circumference of a larger circle

Empirical evidence - information based on observations and research

Geocentric - the idea that the planets and the Sun revolve around the Earth

Gravity - the force of attraction between all objects that have mass

Heliocentric - the idea that the planets, including the Earth, revolve around the Sun

Inertia - the tendency of an object to remain at rest or in motion until an unbalanced force acts upon it

Perihelion - the point in the orbit of a planet or comet when it is at its nearest point to the Sun

Scientific Law - a statement that describes a natural event that has been tested and is universally believed to be true

Sidereal Period - the length of time a celestial object takes to make a complete orbit in relation to a fixed star

Theory - an explanation of a phenomena that is based on observations

Zodiac - an imaginary band of the celestial sphere extending eight degrees north and south of the ecliptic representing the path of the planets, the sun, and the moon which is divided into 12 constellations

 

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