History of Astronomy

charted stars and recorded solar and lunar eclipses

made accurate predictions of planets and their visibility

developed important ideas about earth, stars, and planets

wrote about Greek ideas and that the sun circled around the earth

analyzed motions of planets and predicted their motions most accurately

proposed sun is center of solar system

invented telescope by placing simple lenses on the end of a tube

Galileo improved the telescope by making a refracting telescope

proposed planets orbit the sun in elliptical orbits

invented reflecting telescope
(had also discovered law of gravitation, explaining motions of planets, comets, and other objects)