Astronomy Timeline

Greek Astronomer

• 280 B.C.E.: Greek astronomer Aristrachus of Samos suggests a heliocentric theory of the universe, whereby it was the Earth and planets which revolved around a stationary Sun. However, his theory was not popular and it would be nearly 1800 years before it would finally be accepted

Al-Sufi

• 970 Al-Sufi prepares catalog of over 1,000 stars.

Ulugh-Beg

• 1420 Ulugh-Beg, prince of Turkestan, builds a great observatory and prepares tables of planet and star data.

Galileo Galilei

• 1609 Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter, craters on Earth’s Moon, the turning of the Sun, and the presence of innumerable stars in the Milky Way with a telescope that he built.

Russian Sputnik

• 1957 A.D: Russian Sputnik 1 satellite becomes the first man-made object to orbit the Earth marking the beginning of the space age.

Endeavour Will Map the Earth

• Over 80% of the planet's surface will be mapped, making this the first time a world map will be made from the same data.

New Evidence for Water on Mars

• Scientist have discovered more evidence supporting the theory that liquid water is on Mars
• Scientists say the dry riverbeds are about 6 feet deep. Up until now, it was thought that water flowed on Mars millions of years ago