Greek Accomplishment to Astronomy - Assignment Example

Greek Accomplishment to Astronomy Introduction Greek astronomy which is closely associated with Hellenistic and Egyptian culture refers to all ical works written on astronomy in Greek language. It includes the works of ancient philosophers who lived within the influence of Roman Empire including Greece and Egypt. However, the Greek astronomy was not unique or independent in its stages of development; instead it was obviously influenced by other astronomical experiments of Indian, Babylonian, Arabic astronomers and theories. The major concern of the Greek astronomy was the secret of the universe and the motion of the heavenly objects; whereas, to many other cultures astronomy meant the study of seasons and its influence on human life. Astronomers & Contribution Many of the names of heavenly bodies including the very word ‘planet’ Jupiter, Venus, etc are the contribution of Greek mythology to Astronomy. Irrespective of the inaccurate assumptions, the Greeks astronomers developed their own calendars based observation of the movements of planets, sun and moon. It is believed that the Egyptian calendar which comprised of 365 days was the major influence for the development of Greek calendar. The famous astronomers lived in the sixth century BC were Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras and Anaxagoras who mainly focused on earth, moon, sun, planets, and stars. Their emphasis on the perspective of subject selection helped in the route mapping of further study by astronomers who followed them. This theory is still considered prominent as it paved the way for scientific study on select topic under various cosmic theories. Anaximenes concluded that everything found on the earth was composed of air. He used his assumptions to describe the origin of the earth and the celestial bodies surrounding it. He proposed that the earth was floating in the air and had a leave like shape more flat. His calculations were strange that he believed the stars were the developments of exhaled air from the earth. Anaxemenes expected the sun as well as the moon to be of a flat shape and to float in the surrounding air. By the time 450 B.C, Anaxagoras rendered all his service to surpass superstitious imaginations about sun being considered a god. He challenged the beliefs and proposed that the reflection of the emission of the light from the then “red hot stone”- as he called the sun-caused light in the moon. It was the first claim ever had been made by anybody in the history of astronomy. His imaginations were so powerful that whatever he had explained about solar eclipse became scientifically proven later. He could clearly determine the formation of shadows of moon and the earth and their infliction on the falling surface. He was a successful scientist who connected geometry and other mathematical properties to the study of astronomy. Eudoxus and Herrclides who lived in the fourth century were also the advocates of earth centered theory. Their studies insisted on the order of moon, mercury, Venus, the sun, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and stars. Geocentrism In the ancient Greek it was a strong belief that the earth was the centre of the universe with the sun, the moon and other planets surrounding it. The greatest names of astronomic philosophy like Aristotle and Ptolemy had suggested this theory which later attributed to the promotion of Geocentric-religious faiths among the Catholics. They conclude that the earth was to remain stable while the sun and the moon revolved round it. Implication of terms like hell and heaven was also prominent in his ideas. (Wills S, Wills S R, 31). There were two observations to believe this fact of earth’s stability; first is that the sun and the moon were found moving around the earth in a rhythm. The second observation was based on the first; they judged that the earth was stable because it did not make any move visible to the observers. Greek astronomy was closely associated with mathematics notably since the great philosopher Pythagoras. Other famous astronomers of Greek-Hellenistic culture were Plato, Eudoxus. Although the theory developed by them based on Geocentric concept, their accomplishment is notable for its interpretation of spherical motion of planets. The model that Plato proposed was specific for its two sphere characteristic with earth as its center and eight spheres of the seven planets and stars. To illustrate, this model has two cosmic regions they are; a motionless spherical earth which is the center of universe, and the numerous rotating heavenly realm which encircle the earth (Heath, 41-42). However, the spherical theories of Plato and Eudoxus could not describe the changing distance of the planets and their inconsistent brightness. Hipparchus another astronomer who lived in 2nd century BC resolved this problem to a great extent. He was highly influenced by the Babylonian astronomers who could predict the motion and speed of planets more accurately. Ptolemaic astronomy had greater influence in the history as it was refined by Muslim astronomers since early ninth century. However, all these theories could only generate a theoretical appreciation which had been developed on mere observational techniques (Dallal, 1). ircamera.as.arizona.edu/.../greekast.htm Heliocentrism The Heliocentric theory suggests that the universe was balanced on a circular path basing the sun as its centre. This idea of sun centered universe, for the first time was introduced by Aristech’s (310 BC-230 BC). But the Europeans were the dominant people who dictated the scientific approach to any philosophy then. Aristarchus failed to reach out to the public much to the cause of the religious impact of his period (Koupelis, 45). People were deprived of awareness and his findings were subsequently sidelined. Conclusion The Greek concept of earth centered universe had great influence on the world until later in 16th century AD, Copernicus, the famous astronomer revived the ideas of Aristarchus. Copernicus was followed by Johannes Kepler who believed that sun was the center of the universe. Kepler described the motion of earth around the sun, and how the moon orbiting the earth. However, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was the most famous of all supporters of the theory. He invented telescope for the close observation of stars and planets and proved that Heliocentrism was right. Regardless of the flaws on earth centered theory, Greeks contribution to astronomy is great because the idea of sun centered universe also was their contribution. Works Cited Dallal A S (Ed.). An Islamic Response to Greek Astronomy. Brill. 1995 Heath T L. Greek Astronomy. Courier Dover Publications, 1991. Wils S, Wils S R. Astronomy: Looking at the Stars. Innovative Series 9. The Oliver Press Inc, 2001 Koupelis T. In quest of the solar system. Jones Bartlett Learning, 2010. ircamera.as.arizona.edu/.../greekast.htm (picture). Read More