1 minute read
Key Takeaways
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• There has been interest in celestial objects since prehistoric times.
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• Many of the early understanding of the skies was related to mystical and religious thinking.
• One of the first civilizations to document astronomical study was the
Babylonians.
• All of the major ancient cultures studied astronomy in some way and for different reasons.
• Ptolemy was an early astronomer who first proposed and solidified the geocentric theory of the solar system.
• It took many centuries for Copernicus to have the theory of a heliocentric solar system and to have that stick as a prevailing theory.
• The telescope was invented around 1600 and was first based on lenses and optics.
• Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses. They have become more powerful now that the mirrors are coated with things like silver rather than just made of a metallic substance that could tarnish over time.
• Many of the telescopes in use today are not based on the visual spectrum of electromagnetic waves but collect waves all along the electromagnetic spectrum.
