ASTR 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Semi-Major And Semi-Minor Axes, Galilean Moons, Ellipse
Document Summary
Astronomical events helped civilizations measure time and weather patterns. Egyptians knew the time of day by following the location/path of the sun in the sky. Greeks (800 bc 300 ad: three major innovations by greeks. Developed tradition of understanding nature w/o relying on spiritual explanations. Made use of math for precision and predictability. Made use of reasoning and logic in debates. Acquiring new knowledge or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. Must be based on empirical and measurable evidence: steps: Ultimate question: do i accept the results because i want to believe or because there is a logical explanation? (confirmation bias) Philosophical and scientific question are related: thales. First known to ask what the universe is made out of. Proposed a flat earth floating in empty space: pythagoras. Envisioned the earth as a sphere: exodus. Used concentric circles to explain retrograde motion: aristotle. Gravity pulled things toward the center of the earth. Explained why planets, moons, suns, stars, revolved around earth.
