Astronomy 2021A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 3&4: Phanerozoic, Lunar Mare, Late Heavy Bombardment
2 May 2014
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Document Summary
Newton delivered the final, shattering blow to the aristotelian conception that earth must by necessity be unique. The heavens could no longer be considered a separate realm made from different material (the ether or quintessence) and operating under different laws from earth. Three ideas are especially important in framing the universal context for everything else we will study: Its vastness implies an enormous number of worlds on which life might possibly have arisen, and its old age means there has been plenty of time for life to being and evolve. Observation shows that the basic chemical elements that make up earth and life are present throughout the universe. The same physical laws that operate on earth operate throughout the universe. Every experiment and observation made to date has given additional support to newton"s conclusion that the laws of nature are the same everywhere.
