Before we go deep into details needed in this article, we have to define the whole concept of astronomy and how important it is for us. Keep reading to learn about who was the founder of modern astronomy and much more!
What is Astronomy?
Astronomy is described as the study of celestial objects and beings. This includes the stars, galaxies, and the several phenomena that come outside this Earth’s atmosphere. The study of astronomy is described as one of the earliest sciences, which started way back in the early ages.
In the early days, the term modern astronomy began to evolve and today, it has become a very popular practice in the field of astronomy. In the field of modern astronomy, there was a combination of space exploration, since the earliest astronomers could only work with their eyes and the use of the telescope.
Modern astronomy brought about many discoveries in the study of the planets and the entire structure of the solar system. Through this modern astronomy, several moons were discovered and several breakthroughs in the field of astronomy were also created.
Who Created Astronomy?
When discussing who was the founder of modern astronomy, we must not fail to make of the great Nicolaus Copernicus. His name is highly noted in this field, as he is the pioneer of what we now study and practice in the field of modern astronomy. Copernicus (1473 – 1543) was a great polymath who, in the renaissance era, created a model that strongly stood by the ideology that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the other way round. Throughout his lifetime, he was greatly criticized by his ideology. It turns out, he was right! As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Moon orbits the Earth
Before his death, he published a book titled “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.” This publication, however, was recorded as one of the major events in the history of science and astronomy in general. After his death, came the Copernican Revolution, which led to the bringing up of the Scientific Revolution.
The founder of modern astronomy aimed to develop a new and improved theory, which could be used to figure out the planetary positions. He presented a heliocentric theory that did not assume that the Earth was the center of the universe. His theory, however, was greatly ridiculed and not widely accepted until many years after his death.
During his lifetime, he was not able to prove that the Earth revolves around the Sun, but while he was alive, he was able to prove the current Ptolemaic system was lacking symmetry and clumsy.
Today, a lot of people, especially astronomers and scientists look up to the Copernicus model. The model allow the positions of the planets to be calculated well. This breakdown in modern astronomy has led to several other breakthroughs in the field of modern science.Modern astronomy would not be complete without making mention of Copernicus. This great man changed how we study the planets and the entire solar system, and to this day, his works are still highly appreciated. For a proper understanding of these concepts, you can always get his book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.”