Ancient Astronomy Timeline

I. Discoveries
Warren Field
 location of a mesolithic calendar monument built about 8,000 BCE
Goseck Circle
 A Neothilitic structure in Germany discovered in 1991; Oldest known solar observatory
 yellow lines represent the direction in which the sun rises and sets at the winter
solstice, while the vertical line shows the astronomical meridian
Carnac Megaliths
 dense collection of megalithic sites around the village of Carnac in Brittany
 erected by the pre-Celtic people during the Neolithic period
 three major groups of stone rows — Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan
 these standing stones were signposts, others think they marked burial plots, still others think they were
astronomical in nature
Pentre Ifan
 ancient manor in the civil parish of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, Wales; burial site
Newgrange Tomb
 located in County Meath, Ireland and discovered in 1699
 was definitely planned out and built to face sunrise at the midwinter mark.
 but this building does show that this ancient civilization had not only knowledge of the movement of the Sun, but
a deep cultural connection with the movements of the Sun, Moon and stars.
Stonehenge
 lies in England, alleged connection with the druids and alien connection; marking of the Neolithic period
 appears to have been associated with burial from the earliest period of its existence
The Cairns of Clava
 Two of the three cairn entrance passages align exactly with the Sun's setting position on the winter solstice
Fossa Stones (Italy)
 The stone slabs that are set in straight lines are aligned East to West thus seeing the cycle of the sun
II. Events and Eras
Upper Paleolithic (32,500+ BCE) – Tracking of moon’s phases by engraving lines onto animal bones (e.g. mammoth
tusk discovered in Ach Valley (Germany) that depicts Orion
Mesolithic-Neolithic (10,000+ BCE) – Astronomy is mixed with religion by the early priest; seasonal
cycles for agriculture; measurement of time and direction; advent of the Agricultural Revolution
Mesopotamia/Sumerians (2,000-3,000 BCE) – Leo, Taurus, Scorpio, Capricorn and Sagittarius marked
the path of the Sun, moon and planets throughout the year; Star catalogues were kept by the Mulapin
Sumerians; Babylonian clay tablets record the positions of planets and solar eclipses;
sexagesimal system of measurement (360 degrees)
Babylonian Period – used heavens to establish accurate calendar for agriculture; tracked movement
of Sun and Moon; Chaldeans (priest-astronomers)
King Hammurapi (1,700 BCE) –reigns in Babylon predates the beginning of Greek Astronomy Parapegma
Mulapin (700 BCE) – Star guide that aids in farming in Babylon. (See right figure)
Parapegma (400 BCE) – Solar cycle to help reckon time of the year.
Berossus (300 BCE) – Babylonian astronomer; lunar phase’s theory

Egyptian Astronomy Timeline

Nile River Flooding – foundation of Egypt civilization and driving force behind its astronomy that is intertwined with
Religion and beliefs
7500 BC (Nabta Playa) – calendar stone circles; calendar that marks summer solstice
(Great Pyramid of Giza) – facing Sirius & Orion, aligned with the cardinal points
(Egyptian Temples) – aligned along the axis of the rising midwinter sun to signify planting
in the spring
(City of Alexandria) – Important centers of Astronomy
(1-50 AD) – computed position of Mercury Nabta Playa
I. Tools and Instruments – navigation and architecture
1) Calendar – based on Sirius that has 365 ¼ days annually
2) Sundials – dividing night and day into 12 hours
3) Star Chart – Decans (36 group of stars in the night sky)

Greek Astronomy Timeline

…driving force behind western astronomy, rational way of dealing observations and adding their own interpretations and
explanation of the motion of heavenly bodies
I. Greek Astronomers
Thales (624 – 548 BC) – predicted an eclipse; measured Sun’s diameter; Ursa Minor as reference for navigation; flat-earth
Anaximander (550 BC) – 1st to create a cosmological model that the Earth is hanging in space with the heavenly
bodies circling around it; idea of balance to explain how the Earth floated in space using equilibrium
Pythagoras (572 – 492 BC) – spherical moon, planets and Earth since he saw that ships disappear below the horizon;
Venus as morning and evening star
Anaxagoras (500 BC) – moon reflected the Sun’s light; suggest that the stars are actually suns, similar to our own
Heraclides (388 BC) – suggested first the heliocentric model of the universe
Plato – heavenly bodies were fixed to a concentric crystalline spheres, rotating inside on another; geocentric view
Aristarchus (312-230 BC) – distance of sun and moon from Earth; profess heliocentric universe
Erastosthenes – Earth’s circumference by using the shadows
Hipparchus – star catalogue; determined the location of almost 850 stars which he divided into six groups according to
their brightness; devised a method of predicting lunar eclipses
Cleomides - Wrote a book entitled On The Elementary Theory of the Heavenly Bodies
Ptolemy – compiled the Almagest (star chart); constructed his own model of the solar system; geocentric model with
circle-like orbits that has retrograde motion (epicycles)
Alfonsine Tables
 The last great attempt to make the Ptolemaic system of practical use because of the errors accumulated as
centuries passed.
 Updated version of the Almagest of Ptolemy (book of apparent motions of stars and planetary path); took ten
years to simplify the calculations that are led by King Alfonso X of Castile’s astronomers

Chinese Astronomy Timeline

excellent spectators and recorders of celestial occurrences
Roles of Astronomical Observations
a) Timekeeping b) Dynasty Emblem c) Astrological Prediction d) Political
I. Tools and Instruments
1) Calendar – emblem of every dynasty 2) Sundial 3) Astro Clockworks
II. Astronomers
A. Prehistoric China (Up to 1600 BC) – sophisticated observatory buildings
Li Shu (2650) – wrote about astronomy
(2137) – book published first recorded earliest known solar eclipse
B. Xia Dynasty (2000 BC) – Jupiter needs 12 years to complete revolution
C. Ancient China-Shang Dynasty (1600-221 BC) – tortoise shell astronomy inscriptions
(1400 BC) – regularity of eclipses and the earliest recorded Solar prominence and 2 novas
(1200 BC) – development of Chinese constellations; divides sky into 28 regions
(1100 BC) – determined spring equinox Chinese calendar
Wan-nien – solar calendar of 365 days with pin pointed solstices
D. Zhou Dynasty (1045 -221 BC) – first planetarium
Shi-Shen – catalogued 809 stars in 122 constellations
E. Imperial China (221 BC-1912 AD)
(28 BC) – first recorded Sunspots
(185 AD) – first recorded Super nova Lunar calendar
Zhan Heng aka Pingzi (78-139) –celestial globe from his belief that the world is round; first armillary sphere
Liu Zhou- wrote the Huang-ji calendar
Zhang Sui (683-727) – described proper stellar motion or apparent motion of stars
Tsu Chung Chi (430 – 501) – precise time of the solstice by measuring shadow of the sun
(687 AD) – earliest known record of meteor shower
Yi Xing- first astronomer in the world to measure the imaginary great circle around the earth
(meridian)
F. Song Dynasty Su Song Clock Tower
Su Song (1088 AD)– hydraulic powered astronomical tower
Shen Kuo (1088) – idea of a compass for navigation; eclipses as proofs for spherical Earth
Guo Shoujing (1280) – Shousi calendar system using polynomial equations
G. Final Dynasties
Ming Dynasty – Roof tile constellations (Azure Dragon, Black Turtle, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger)
Matteo Rici – prediction of eclipses and made his own astronomy map
Xu Guanhqi – made his own table of ecplise (summary of eclipses and forecast)
III. Notable Events and Tools
A. Ancient Events
2137 BC - Chinese book published which recorded the earliest known solar eclipse
2000 BC - Jupiter needs 12 years to complete one revolution of its orbit.
1400 BC - recorded the regularity of eclipses & the earliest Solar prominence & the 2 novas.
1200 BC - The development of the Chinese constellations by recognizing the star and dividing
the sky into 28 regions.
1100 BC - The spring equinox was determined.
776 BC - The first reliable forecast of a solar eclipse. Quadrant Altazi
613 BC - The Haley Comet was recorded during the Spring and Autumn
532 BC - A nova was recorded in the Records of Grand Historian.
28 BC - The first records of sunspot
128 AD – Book of Han (record of sunspots)
185 AD - The earliest record of Super Nova of RCW 186.
1054 AD - The Crab Nebula, Messier’s was first noted by Chinese as nova guest star.
B. Ancient Equipment Sextant
1. Quadrant Altazi (1673) – measuring altitudes and distances of heavenly bodies
2. Sextant – measure angel of elevation of a celestial object
3. Azimuth Theodolite – measure horizontal and vertical angles
C. Modern Equipment
1. LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope);
2. FAST (Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope)
3. Hard X-ray Modulate Telescope (HXMT) Azimuth Theodolite
4. Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE)
5. Chang’e – Lunar Moon Project

Indian Astronomy Timeline

Jyotiso Vedango (4000 BC) - first Vedic text to mention astronomical data; measured time and motion of heavenly
bodies with proto-theories about the universe structure
Rigvida (1700-1100 BC) – 365 calendar days of 30 days in 12 months
Aryabhata (476 AD) – heliocentric theory; moon reflects light of the sun; eclipse forecasting
Varahamihira (476 AD) – proposed an attractive force keeping objects stationary aka gravity
Brahagupta (598 AD) – spherical earth; attempted circumference Earth measurement
Yajnavalkya - Indian astronomer that proposes a heliocentric concept of the universe in which the Earth is spherical and
the Sun is at “the centre of the spheres
Al-Sufi - one of the famous nine Muslim astronomers; made the earliest recorded observation of the Andromeda Galaxy
Cairo Observatory - first observatory built in Medieval Islam
Maragha Observatory - built by a Persian astronomer Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
 Renaissance Astronomy Timeline
Black Plague - conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the House of Aquarius
Nicolaus Copernicus (1543) – heliocentric view; De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium book
Tycho Brahe (1576) – The Great Observer; accurate positions of planets that favor Copernican system;
Johann Bayer (1603) – naming system for brightness of stars
Johannes Kepler (1605) – Three laws of planetary motion; Mysterium cosmographicum (The cosmic mystery) in
1596; In 1606 discovered that the orbit of Mars is elongated
Kepler Laws
 Orbit of the planets are ellipses with the sun at one focus
 A line from a planet to the sun sweeps over equal areas in equal intervals of time(planets move faster when close
to the sun and slower when farther away)
 A planet’s orbital period squared is proportional to its average distance from the sun cubed
Hans Lippershey (1608) – invented telescope
Galileo Galilei – Jupiter’s moons (Ganymede, Io, Europa, Callisto); defended heliocentric; Venus’ phases;
 He did not invented the telescope (It was Hans Lippershey)
 Publicly defended the heliocentric model
 First person to apply telescopic observations to the theoretical problem of the day-the place of the Earth
 Saw Venus go through complete set of phases which proved that it did revolve around the sun
 Created the book SIdereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger) which made him famous
Three major discoveries of G.G.
 Moon was not perfect
 Milky Way was made up of myriad stars too faint to see with the naked eye
 Revealed four new planets circling Jupiter, Galiliean moons of Jupiter
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) – first reflecting telescope; Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica book that
agrees that the Earth rotates around the Sun and explains the reasons behind Kepler’s three laws; Theory of
Universal Gravitation
 Studied optics, divined the nature of gravity, invented calculus
 Published his book Principia in 1687
 Recognized that force of gravity decreases as the square of the distance between the objects increases (Distance
from the Earth to the moon is doubled, the gravitational force would decrease by 22 which is 4. If tripled = 9.
Three Laws of Motion
 An object in motion must continue in motion in a straight line unless it is acted by a force
 F=ma
 For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction(If one body attracts another the second body must also
attract the first thus gravitation is mutual)
Charles Messier (1730-1817) – Messier Catalogue of nebula and star clusters; discovery of comets (15)
Edmond Halley (1656-1742) – first to detect proper motion of stars; Halley’s Comet (76 years cycle comet)
Johann Palitzsch - observes Halley's comet as predicted by Halley in 1705.
Christiaan Huygens (1656) – Saturn’s rings & Titan ;wave theory of light; pendulum clock; centrifugal force
Ole Romer - Danish astronomer who measure the speed Piazzi - discovered the first asteroid Ceres
of light Johann Galle - discovered Neptune
William Herschel - discovered Uranus
Modern Astronomy Timeline
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) – General Theory of Grote Reber - first radio telescope
Relativity; E = mc^2 Yuri Gagarin - becomes the first man in space!
Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) – pioneer of distant stars; John Glenn - becomes first American man to orbit Earth.
Hubble’s Law (foundation of Big Bang Theory) Armstrong and Aldrin - walk on the Moon as part of
Georges Lemaitre (1920’s) – formulated Big Bang Theory Apollo 11 mission.
Karl Jansky – father of radio astronomy Probes:
Gerard Kuiper – father of modern planetary science Pioneer 11 (1979) – visited Saturn
Alan Guth – inflationary universe Solar Probe (2018) – solar flybys at the Sun
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz – discovered first Chinese Lunar Rover (Chang’e 2018) – visited moon
extrasolar/exoplanet planet named 51 Pegasi B Sputnik – 1st object to orbit the Earth, by the Russians.
Clyde Tombaugh - discovered pluto Venera 7 – 1st to land softly on the surface of Venus.
Note: Research on the PH satellites