Who is this stargazer? Since ancient times, people have sought to study the night sky. Stars beckoned them with their mysterious flicker, inspiring discovery. In fact, astronomers called modern astronomers. At the very beginning of the development of the science of astronomy, priests observed the sky. It is believed that the first in this area were the Egyptians. And the Cheops pyramid, perhaps, is one of the oldest observatories (this is a building in which stars are studied).
Stargazers in antiquity
In ancient China, the ruler had to predict the future of the stars. Otherwise, he was considered a bad emperor. True, he did not do research himself. These stargazers rose at night on the walls of the city and studied the celestial bodies. Using tools, they created star maps. Ordinary people were forbidden to do astronomy. Archaeological excavations have proven that the ancient Chinese have well studied nearby planets. And the appearance of comets was considered a bad sign.
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome became famous for its scientists. And astronomers among them. They invented the Julian calendar. It was the Greek scientist who deduced the first model of the universe, according to which the Earth was in the center of the Universe and was motionless, and all the planets revolved around it. His name was Aristotle, and the theory he invented was undeniable for about two thousand years. He said that the Earth is round, not flat.
The legendary Maya Indians lived in Central America. These stargazers created a very accurate calendar, which ended in 2012, and were able to predict eclipses.
Astronomy in the Middle Ages
At that time, doing science was very dangerous. The church zealously watched the scholars, the rampage of the Inquisition was in full swing. Dissenters, without hesitation, were sent to the stake.
In the photo below is a world map dated 1626:
Nevertheless, it was precisely in the Middle Ages that great discoveries occurred. This was not easy for stargazers. They suffered persecution, hid from the inquisitors, but did their job. At that time, for the first time, it was suggested that the Sun is in the center of the Universe, and all the planets, including the Earth, revolve around it. And also in the Middle Ages, they invented a telescope.
Famous astronomers of antiquity and the Middle Ages
- Aristotle. First measured the circumference of the Earth and claimed that the Earth is a ball.
- Hipparchus. Measured the length of the year in days. He owns the theory of motion of the moon and the sun.
- Ptolemy. He wrote a work in which he described the geocentric system of the world.
- Nikolai Copernicus. The first to declare that all planets revolve around the sun.
- Galileo Galilei. He supported the theory of Copernicus, used a telescope for observation.
- Johannes Kepler. This astrologer owns two Kepler laws that calculate the speed and motion of planets in orbits.
Modern astronomy
In the world there are no more than fifty thousand astronomers. Of these, no more than ten thousand scientists are actively engaged in science and make discoveries. It turns out that a modern stargazer is a rather rare profession.
In recent years, astronomers are constantly making new discoveries. Nobel prizes in the field of physics are regularly awarded for discoveries related specifically to astronomy. Newspapers are publishing new sensations.
A breakthrough in science is associated with the fact that there is a powerful development of technical capabilities. Super-powerful telescopes, modern technological computer systems - all this surrounds the astronomer, helping him in his work. Few people know that it is at the computer that these scientists spend the lion's share of their time.
The photo of the European Observatory, located high in the Andes, shows how advanced astronomy is today.
For children, a stargazer is rather a fairy-tale character, living somewhere on a mountain and watching the night sky through an ancient telescope. Of course, once it was.
A modern astronomer should be a specialist in mathematics, and in chemistry, and in biology. Not to mention physics, which goes hand in hand with star researchers.