History of Astronomy
Ancients - Antiquity
Amy Nelson
PHY3901
September 13, 2004
Chinese Astronomy
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Mankind’s first astronomical
records ~3000BC
First recorded solar eclipse 2136BC
Ahead of their time designs
for astronomical instruments
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Forecasting solar eclipses
Devised calendar
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12 lunar months
365.25 days
The Ecliptic Armillary Sphere
Qing Dynasty
Egyptian Astronomy
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In order to maintain power,
pharaohs and priests used
astronomy to predict the annual
flooding of the Nile
This yearly flooding was
imperative to survival in the dry
African desert
Early astronomers discovered
the flooding coincided with the
rise of Sirius
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25 days after the summer
solstice
Egyptian Astronomy
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2000BC Amenhotep wrote a catalog
of stars
5 constellations recorded along with
36 decans.
Decans were a method of telling
time at night
Each decan rises 40 minutes later
every night
18 of these decans are used for
telling time at night
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Only 12 are visible due to dusk and
dawn lights
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Egyptians believed that many of
the stars and planets were
actually the gods and goddesses
they worshipped
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Ra- the sun god traveled in his
chariot across the sky each day
Nut- the sky goddess was the
actual sky and all the stars were
her children.
Pyramids were aligned precisely
with Ursa Major and Orion.
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These were believed to be the
most holy of stars
In order for the deceased to be
reincarnated, they had to reach
this destination from their place
of burial.
Elaborate ceremonies were held
called Pedj Shes or the
“stretching of the cord” before
each pyramid was built
Egyptian Astronomy
Babylonian Astronomy
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One of the first cultures to base astronomy
on mathematical theory
Development of astronomy as a science due to
inconsistency of lunar months with solar years
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New calendar evenly distributed the months so
there were not days left over at the end of the
year
Earliest records date back to ~ 1800BC
Had names for several constellations
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Many of today’s constellations are simply Greek
and Latin translations of the Babylonian names
Babylonian Astronomy
Eclipses recorded onto a tablet circa 518 and 465 BC
Mentions the death of King Xerxes
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Became a science
Based on geometry and mathematics, not
physics
Many new theories emerged from some rather
famous names
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Pythagoras
~500BC
 Recognized the earth
was spherical
 Found that the moon was
inclined to the Equator
 Discovered Venus is both
the morning and the
evening star
 Most famous for his
theorem
c²= a²+b²
This theorem became an
integral tool for the
measurement of stars
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Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Euxodus
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~370BC
Developed mechanical
system to explain the
motion of the planets
Aristotle
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~300BC
Geocentric theory
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Hipparchus
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~140BC
Divided stars into groups
of apparent brightness
This system of magnitude
of brightness is still used
today
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Ptolemy
 ~127-41AD
 Epicycles
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Almagest
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Small circular motion in a
larger circular motion, or
deferent
Explained retrograde
Source of all Greek and
Roman advances of the time
Geocentric believer
Ptolemaic theory stood
for 1500 years, the
Renaissance (you’ll have
to wait till next time for
the exciting heliocentric
theory!)
Greek and Roman Astronomy
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Aries- Roman god of War
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Andromeda- daughter of
Cepheus and Cassiopeia.
Taken by Poseidon. Mother
of Perseus
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Cassiopeia- Queen of
Ethiopia who claimed she was
as beautiful as the Nereids
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Draco- first lawgiver in
ancient Greece
Greek and Roman Astronomy
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Orion- Greek Hunter
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Pegasus- winged
horse of Poseidon
Bibliography
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www.learnwhatsup.com
www.egyptology.com/astronomy.htm
www.spacetoday.org
www.astronomy.com
www.greek-astronomy.com
Clagett, Marshall. Ancient Egyptian Science Volume II. American
Philosophical Society, Philadelphia. 1995.
Hoskin, Michael. The Cambridge Illustrated History of
Astronomy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1997.
Lockyer, J. Norman. The Dawn of Astronomy. The MIT Press,
Cambridge. 1964.
O’Neil, W.M. Early Astronomy From Babylonia to Copernicus.
Sydney University Press, Sydney. 1986.